More Than Meets the Eye
by ElMexicanoAmericano
Summary: "There's always another story. There's more than meets the eye. -W.H. Auden". Natsu is the one with the other story this time, as he is forced to leave after supposedly doing something truly unthinkable. Want to know what that other story is for him? If he did or didn't do it? What happens after five years? Then read, and find out the two sides of this coin. MAIN STORY NOW COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Wait, What?!

**A/N: Hello people of Fanfiction! This will be my first story on here and I hope you like it! Warning a small amount of citrus but nothing serious yet. Yet. Enjoy.**

**Rating: M**

**Genres for entire story: Humor, Drama, Romance, Adventure, Tragedy, Hurt/Comfort, Suspense, Slight Angst **

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An Unknown Country far to the west of Fiore- X792 (Unknown POV)

I walk home after a long journey looking for the one thing I must find, something that still eludes me. 'Damn! I thought that lead was solid! Knew I shouldn't have trusted that guy, he was shady looking from the beginning. Oh well, hopefully everyone here is ok.' I continue to walk until I see a town, my hometown and the town I still call home. Only, it wasn't really a town anymore, it was a ghost town, no one but a few people lived there. And they all were either old and dying or young and dying, except for me and my family of course. 'I hope nothing happened to them while I was gone, hopefully Rames came back with the medical supplies he promised he could get. Or else there will be some funerals to plan...'

I walk up to the gates and the only other healthy people, the guards, yell out to me, "Halt! State your business!"

"It's me! I'm back, and I need to talk to the General!" I yell back and they immediately open the gates. I nod at the two and notice how they look, they are both thinner than when I left and look like they are sick. I sigh and ask, "Hey Rames back yet? And eat something you guys can't guard shit looking like that!"

I open my bag and throw them the bread that I had and they both catch it and gobble it up in seconds, "No, he's not, but hey there is some good news! He sent word and he'll be back tonight, WITH THE SUPPLIES!" At this news I perk up and look at them as they nod and i believe them. "Yeah, the General is in a good mood so the fact that you're empty handed won't make him too mad." I deadpan at the guards as they laugh and I soon join them, 'First piece of good news in months. This deserves some laughs.'

"CABRON!" I hear and cringe, only one person calls me that... "WHAT TOOK YOU SO DAMN LONG! I WAS GETTING WORRIED!" My wife, my very pregnant wife, said as she punched me in the head and I am sent crashing to the floor.

I pick myself up and rub my head and say, "Sorry, babe... I wanted to make sure the lead was a bust before I came back, it was. Oh well, but I hear Rames had some luck! Man that guy is resourceful, crazy, but resourceful."

"Yeah, that idiot actually found someone. Not only did he get medical supplies, but he got a guy to listen to our story, and it turns out the guy was a doctor! The doctor was so sorry for us that he decided to come out here and help us out! Cabron! A REAL DOCTOR!" She yelled happily and i couldn't help but join in her glee.

"Finally, someone who will know what their doing! Now we can start saving some people here. Finally things are looking up!" I said happily.

"Oh look! There's Rames! Wow it's late. Cabron! Why did you take so long that Rames almost beat you back?!" She yelled and smacked me again.

"You know that really is no way to treat your husband. Now behave please, and say hello to our doctor, Dr. Rua!" Rames said and we both shook the doctor's hand, the doctor was a she.

"You must be the local mages, correct? Rames here has told me a lot about you two. He was spot on with his description I see." She said and we both deadpanned at her. "Now Rames, let us all go and meet with your General. We have much to discuss." We all nod and walk over to the building that used to be the town hall.

We enter and immediately see the General waiting for us. As soon as he saw the doctor his face lit up and he rushed over to us, along with his council members. "Welcome to La Empieza doctor! Well what's left anyways. We can talk later. You! What did you find?"

"Nothing, at least nothing here in this country. But I may have a new lead. What we are looking for maybe in a foreign country, it would take a year to get there but this is our best shot, I believe." I say and look at everyone gathered. "Permission to leave in a week? Sir."

"Permission granted, but I won't send you alone. Your wife will go as well, after she has had her baby." The General said and we all nodded, then he asked, "What is the name of the country you are going to?"

"Fiore. The thing that we seek is there most likely." I answer and look at him.

He nods and says, "I hope for your sake, your right. We must find it! It's the only way for us to get our revenge on that MALDITO MAGO NEGRO, ZEREF!" We all nod and head salute him before we all go our separate ways, and I think to myself, 'Yes, I will find it and then kill Zeref with my own two hands, and make him feel the pain he caused me all those years ago.'

Magnolia- X793 (3rd person POV)

Two years, two years have passed since Fairy Tail had defeated Tartarus and since anyone had seen any sign of the Black Mage Zeref. Times have changed and many things have changed everywhere, guild masters have changed, new Wizard Saints have been chosen, and new enemies abound, change is prevalent except for in one place, Fairy Tail. Sure people have grown up a little (ok just Wendy), but at its core Fairy Tail is still Fairy Tail. The guild is still rowdy with more fights and brawls than one could count, the people still kind and caring and willing to do whatever it must to protect its Nakama. And yet something is amiss, the usual intensity carried by the members is there, the usual tomfoolery, the craziness and chaos caused by certain guild members is still there, but yet something is amiss.

(Natsu POV)

'Hmmm something really is weird' thought the Fairy Tail mage, 'Hmmm Ice-Stripper's over there pretending, and failing miserably, to ignore Juvia, nothing new there. There's Gajeel and Levy, the only couple that Mira was able to get together, doing their usual of reading and eating respectively. And even the Raijinshū are doing the usual fangirling over Laxus, sans Evergreen who is most likely with Elfman doing gods knows what (probably the nasty). Hmmm so what's missing? Hmmm…'

My reverie were interrupted by a flying ball of blue fur who asked, "Aye Natsu, where's Lushy? I haven't seen her all day!"

'That's it! Luce is missing!' "Good question Happy! Lets go and see if the weirdo is still sleeping or somethin'!" I yelled. "Come on! If we're lucky she's cooking and we can go and eat with her! Yoooooosh! I'm all fired up!"

"Aye sir!" came Happy's trademark reply, "First I'm going to give Charle this fish, meet you there?"

"Ok good luck buddy!" I yelled as I ran towards the guild doors.

However before I could get out the doors I was stopped by a certain white-haired mage, "Hey Natsu! Where you going?" asked Lisanna from her spot next to her sister Mira by the bar.

"I'm off to go find Luce! She hasn't come in yet and I wanna make sure she's ok!" I replied, "Then we'll probably go on a mission, well I'm off!"

"Ok Natsu have fun!" Lisanna replied and with that I was off and down the usual road to Luce's apartment.

"Hey look its Lucy's boyfriend! Hey Natsu!" the usually loud fishermen yelled at me from their boat.

"Eh boyfriend? What's a boyfriend?" I replied as they passed by, "I guess I'll ask Luce when I get there." I said as the fishermen deadpanned at my response. 'Huh wonder what's got them all wierded out. Luce sure has weird neighbors.' I thought as I climbed up to the door (he means the window) and entered the apartment. 'Huh she's not sleeping and I don't hear the shower or her cooking. That could only mean one thing…she's in her book world' I groaned at the thought and came inside, but what I saw next had me grinning ear to ear. "Oh so that's why you haven't come to the guild yet? Hehe"

In front of me stood Lucy in only her… well she had her underwear on but she stripped as soon as she saw me and said "Duh you left last night before we could have any fun." She pouted at me and was giving me her 'I want it and want it now' look. "Why did you leave anyways?"

"I heard Happy calling for me and since you refuse to tell everyone about us I had to leave and make sure he didn't see our date last night." I sighed as I walked up to her and held her close, "when are we telling the guild about us, about this?" I asked as I placed a chaste kiss on her lips and pulled back to stare into her beautiful, chocolate-brown orbs, gods how much I love those eyes.

"Not yet, I don't want to deal with everyone giving us crap like they did Levy and Gajeel," she kissed me on the lips and said, "It took everyone two whole years for everyone to leave them be, TWO YEARS!" She said exasperated for her friend.

"Well it kinda is their own fault, I mean she kissed him in the middle of a battle just to 'give him air'," I said air quoting the last part, realizing I was only in my boxers, "eh?! When did I strip? Am I turning into the Ice-freak or something?" I said truly terrified at the prospect of having anything in common with that exhibitionist.

Lucy giggled at my last statement and said, "Now that would be scary, I don't think the guild could handle TWO strippers," she said as she trailed kisses down my body, "But if you are then I wouldn't mind, I get to see this body even more often and do this." She said as she said as she continued her ministrations down my torso towards her now favorite part of my body.

I moaned at her ministrations and was fully ready to make up for last night's inactivity, but was interrupted by the window flying open with a familiar yell coming in with it, "Aye Natsu did you find her…AH my eyes, my innocent eyes!" Happy yelled as he came in and immediately fell to the floor, "AAAAAHHHHHH my eyes I'm blind Aaahhhh help me! Get me a fish!"

"SHIT! SHIT SHIT SHIT! I forgot Happy was coming!" I said as Luce's face and mine were red as Erza's hair "Quick put this on Luce!" I said as I passed my shirt to her which she quickly put on thoroughly embarrassed at the turn of events. "Luce I'm sorry please don't kill him!"

"Kill him?! Don't be ridiculous! I'll just make sure he never repeats what he just saw today…" She said menacingly as she stood up and walked over to her keys an evil glint in her eyes.

"Luce… we can't hurt him you know that. Happy look at me, Happy!" I yelled trying to get his attention. "Oi, Happy look at me or else I'm not buying you anymore fish!" I threatened as I walked over and closed the door (window) and closed it. As I turned around I saw Luce sitting on her bed with Happy on the floor in front of her. "Now Happy you have to promise us you won't tell a single soul about what you saw today ok? OK? If you do I'll buy you enough fish for a month."

"Enough for a month! Aye sir! One fish, two fish, three fish…" Happy said as he was off in fish land.

"Ummm, Natsu are you sure you have enough money for all those fish?" Luce asked.

"I will after our next job, which by the way we have to go pick! YOOOSH I'm all fired up! Let's go Luce!" I said as she finished changing and took her hand and went off to the guild with my girlfriend and Exceed in tow. Man was life good.

However unbeknownst to the three was that there was a fourth person present, and they saw everything, and they were not pleased.

Later that Night (3rd person POV)

It was late at night as a man ran towards the guild, a badly battered woman in his arms and a look of pure anger on his face. He kicked open the doors and yelled "Help! She needs help, Wendy please help her!" Yelled the orange haired man quickly, clearly shaken.

"Loke! What happened? Who did this? Who hurt Lucy?" Asked Wendy as she quickly began working on her badly beaten friend.

"She was attacked, that's what happened!" He yelled as he turned around and began to run off.

"Wait Loke!" Master Makarov asked as he came down from his office, "who did this?!"

"That bastard of a Dragon Slayer…" The members of the guild that were present had all their jaws drop and those with drinks in hand dropped them as he said, "Natsu Dragneel!"

**A/N Dun-dun-dun! What? He did what? Cliffhanger, don't worry, I'll update whenever I'm not in school or sleeping or at the gym or doing who knows what. Please Read and Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Exit Stage Left

**A/N: Chapter two! OMG not even a day and I already have people following my story…ok just the one but still that's amazing to me, so shout-out to DazzTugz for following the story and to IamDivergentForever for favoriting my story! So without further ado, here is chapter two of More Than Meets the Eye.**

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Magnolia- X793 (3rd Person POV)

"Whaaaat!" the guild members who were present asked in utter disbelief, "Loke are you sure?" asked master Makarov, "This is a very serious accusation you are making and one I will not believe unless there is very good evidence." He said as his tone showed the seriousness of his words.

"I know what I saw!" Loke yelled angrily, "And I saw that bastard beating Lucy like she was some sort of punching bag! If you don't believe me then I'm leaving to deal with him myself!"

"Wait Loke!" Master pleaded, "Please tell everything you saw, then we'll decide what to do."

"Ok, ok… but your going to have to give me a minute to calm down," Loke said taking in a deep breath, "Ok I'm ready." He said a few minutes later.

FLASHBACK TO ABOUT HALF AN HOUR AGO (Loke POV)

_As I walked and talked to Aeries about how far we have come in these past few years I suddenly saw Aquarius running towards me and ask quickly and worriedly, "Hey Leo how's Lucy doing right now?!"_

_I stopped to look at her confused when I felt an odd feeling and knew she was in trouble. 'Oh no, what's going on? Is she in trouble? Where's Natsu and why isn't he protecting her?' "Aries I have to go Lucy's in some sort of trouble! I'm sorry!" I said as I began to channel my magic to open my own gate._

"_It's ok Leo, quickly go and help her!" Aries said looking very distressed and worried._

"_Yeah hurry up and save her, do your damn job 'leader'!" She said, the last part as sarcastically as she could at the moment._

"_I am, and how did you know? Your key is no longer working and the contract is void." I asked as I almost had the necessary energy to open the gate._

"_I just did, gods know I've felt the feeling way too often. Please take care of her I can't anymore, please help her!" She pleaded, almost begged which wierded me out seeing the prideful mermaid beg for something, "But don't tell her about this just tell her that you felt her in trouble!" Ah there it was, her never-ending pride._

"_Of course," I replied smirking, "She probably never believe me anyways." I said as I finally had the necessary energy to pass through the gate. "I'll be back!"_

_I passed through the gate and found myself in Lucy's apartment, the window was open and I could hear her screams, "LUCY! I'm here to save you my beautifu…." I began but immediately froze as I saw the scene that was laid out before me. There laid Lucy barely conscious, wearing only her underwear, and blood, her blood, everywhere on her floor with a man above her punching and kicking her mercilessly, coldly, callously, with no intention of stopping. Then my eyes moved up and saw something that my blood curled and my anger reached a new height, I saw pink, unruly, bedheadish hair and immediately I knew who it was. "N-n-n-n-Natsu?!" I yelled "What are you doing?! Stop now!" _

_And stop he did, but only to unleash his trademark roar at me, barely missing as I dodged, rolling out of the way. "What are you doing?! Why?!" I yelled and had to roll out of the way of his flaming fist. "Regulus grant me strength! Regulus Impact!" I yelled and pounced onto… nothing as I saw him booking it out the window and away from the house. "Come back here! Dammit!" 'Oh no, Lucy!' I turned and saw that she was barely hanging on and quickly scooped her up and ran towards the guild, thinking all along the way of the best way to kill a dragon slayer was._

END FLASHBACK(back to 3rd person POV)

"And now I'm here. So unless you wish to stop me, I am going to skin an idiot alive." he said as a menacing aura glowed around him, as he shook from the rage.

"And I can corroborate the story as well." Said a new voice as they all turned and saw Virgo enter the guild, "I was with hime when he began his assault of her and went to grab big brother, but he was already gone before I could find him… Wendy-san allow me to help, I came of my own volition and used my own power to pass through the gate so me staying here won't harm her." She said as Wendy nodded and the two began to work on her.

"Loke," Master said as an evenly menacing aura exuded from him as well, "I believe you, and as such will join you, anyone else who does as well is asked to join us, it is time to avenge our nakama and deal with a now ex-one." He said as everyone in the guild who actually had the courage to face Natsu came along, the mob consisting of Cana, a now thoroughly pissed, demoned up Mirajane, Elfman, Evergreen, Jet, Droy, Loke, Caprciorn who opened his own gate, and Juvia.

Lisanna and Levy looked on in horror and disbelief, unable to move or speak as the others left and marched to Natsu's house. Gajeel stood in his corner with Pantherlily and said, "Somethin' don't smell right here. There's something we're missing here, no way Salamander would hurt bunny-girl." He said as the group filed out and left, " Let's follow and see what's going on." And with that the duo were off as well, and followed at a discreet distance.

The Mob marched and at some point had gotten their hands on pitchforks and torches(like that would actually help) and made their way to Natsu's house. The mob then reached his house and Makarov, who led the mob now, banged on the door and bellowed "Natsu! Come out here at once!"

(Switch to Natsu POV)

I woke with a jolt hearing the banging on my front door as Happy flew into my room scared and yelled "Natsu what did you?! There's a mob outside and they seem really mad!"

"What? What are you talking about…" I asked as I heard the yells now and wondered what could it have been that I did, I padded over to the door and opened and was immediately greeted with a fist to my face, "OW! WHAT THE HELL?!" I yelled and saw master and others come into the house and throw me outside, "Oi, what's goin' on here?"

"Don't play dumb Natsu, you know what you did!" "Yeah! How could you do that to poor Lucy?!" "IMMA KILL HIM!" came their cries as another attack, from Elfman I think as he yelled something about being a man, and I was forced to roll out of the way and replied, "What are you guys talking about? What did I do?" I asked.

"YOU BASTARD HOW DARE YOU PLAY INNOCENT" Loke yelled as he lunged at me as I dodged again, "You beat her like you did and feign innocence? How despicable!"

"WHAAAT?! NO WAY! THERE'S NO WAY I WOULD EVER HURT HER!" I cried indignant, 'What's going on? Is this some sort of nightmare or something? That has to be it!"

"Don't lie you Bastard I saw you do it with my own two eyes and so did Virgo, so stop playing dumb and fight us! Or we will just kill you!" Loke threatened and launched his Regulus Impact at me which I had to twist my body to avoid, but was unable to avoid master's fist as it swatted me down to the ground.

I groaned and realized the truth, 'they are going to kill me! Holy shit they're tryna to kill me! I gotta get outta here fast!' I then activated my lightning-fire mode and used the increased speed to dash away while launching my lotus technique, temporarily blinding them and stopping them from following after me. I ran and ran and ran until I was on the outskirts of Magnolia and was on top of a large hill looking down on Magnolia, tears filling my eyes and silent sobs wracking my body as I looked back at the place I used to call home. 'No, no this can't be happening right now. Why? Why me, life was finally looking up and now this?!' I continued to sob but did so quietly as I did not wish to be heard by the mob that was undoubtedly searching for me. I turned around one last time and looked back over my old home and promised to myself, 'Wait for me Luce, I promise I will come back sort this out and then do what I wanted to do.' And with that he turned around and began to leave Magnolia, the place he had called home for so long and where he thought he would always call home, heading west towards the next town.

(Meanwhile with the mob, 3rd person POV)

"GODDAMMIT! SOMEONE FIND HIM!" barked Loke as the mob began to disperse and look for Natsu, as they had lost him in that last attack, "WHEN I FIND THAT BASTARD I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" Loke yelled irritated that he lost him and had nothing to show for his efforts.

"Hmmmm, yeah something is definitely up here, no way the old man would just snap and give the kill order on Salamander. Hmmm what do you think Lily?" Gajeel asked his exceed partner.

"I'm not sure but you've done this kind of thing before and felt bad about it later as I have myself, so would agree that he didn't do it? His innocence was genuine and he was thoroughly confused by the turn of events, no?" Lily asked as he noticed Happy coming their way, "Happy! Do you know if it's true or not? Did he really hurt Lucy?"

"I-I-I don't know, I-I-I went a-a-a-a-and hung out with Charle today and just got back before, before…" He replied before the emotions of the night caught up to him and he began to ball his eyes out muttering "d-d-d-did he?" over and over and over again.

Sighing Gajeel could only think and about what he knew and his gut said, no more liked screamed no, he didn't do it, but his brain pointed to the facts and said that he did do it and that he should join the hunt. His internal debate continued until he reached the guild and walked inside where he saw those who did not follow along with the mob sat floored as Loke was retelling them the story and asking them to help join the hunt, with Warren offering to connect everyone together telepathically so they could be more efficient. When Loke saw Gajeel he asked "Oi, Gajeel where were you? You know what nevermind," he said after he saw the look Gajeel shot him, "Could you help us look for him?"

"Alright, if I see anything on my mission tomorrow I'll let you guys know." He replied and was then off to prepare for his mission, all the while still debating the facts and wondering what the truth was. For now he would wait and gather the facts and wonder what the truth really was.

A Few Days Later (Lucy POV)

I groaned as I woke up, my entire body aching from the pain and my brain telling me to stop moving, as Wendy said "Lucy-san! You're awake! Please stop trying to move you might reopen the wounds!" remembering everything that had occurred I hoped that this was merely a dream and that I would wake up soon, Natsu next to me and cuddling with me as he would mumble a good morning. "Lucy-san, what do you remember?"

"N-n-natsu attacked m-m-me… Please tell me I'm wrong, please!" I pleaded, but saw my world crash around me as I saw Wendy look away, a look of deep sadness on her face, and in that moment I fell back to unconsciousness, unable to fully comprehend the reality of what had occurred. I hoped that I would wake up and see it was just a bad dream, but knew that deep down inside that it wasn't, right?

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**A/N: WOOF! I'm pure evil! Poor Lucy, and poor Natsu! Oh the feels that were invoked! Don't worry the next chapter will be out soon enough, probably tomorrow, especially if I get some love from you guys! So remember READ AND REVIEW! Any and all criticism is welcome, Adios!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Newspaper Clippings

**A/N: Oh hey look a new chapter! This entire chapter is told via news articles on world events read by an unknown character (italics means reading). Enjoy! **

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**(Unknown POV)**

One week after "The Event"

"Extra, Extra! Read all about it! Fairy Tail's Salamander assaults guild member and runs away! Read all about it!" Cried the newspaper boy, 'Intriguing, I guess I'll take a look.' I thought as I threw the kid a few jewels and he threw back my paper, opening to the article on the "Salamander".

'_Tragedy strikes Fairy Tail as Natsu Dragneel aka the Salamander assaults fellow guild member Lucy Heartifilia, beating her within an inch of her life, only to stop when her spirit Loke, leader of the Zodiac gates, intervened and defended his master from the Salamander's assault. He then carried Heartifilia to the guild and gathered a group to go and confront the Salamander, however when they went to deal with him he denied all wrongdoings and fled Magnolia, current location unknown. The guild has refused to comment but has put a bounty on his head asking for his return alive so that he may answer for his crimes. The rest of the guild is out and about looking for him as well and as of now have no leads on his whereabouts. If you have any information you are asked to contact Fairy Tail via communication lacrima, the frequency being…'_

'Hmmm something's fishy here, from what I have heard of Fairy Tail, they would never attack their own guild members nor would they simply believe that one of their own could do such a thing without hear their side of the story…hmmm I was planning on wandering about for a while doing freelance work but now I want to find out the Salamander's story… I guess I found out what I'm going to do while I wait for her to come in from our homeland.' I turned and went to the nearest train station and asked what are the surrounding towns of Magnolia were. I was sent towards a town called Hargeon.

One month after "The Event"

'Well Hargeon was a dead end! As was Onibus, Kunugi, Oshibana, Clover and all the other nearby towns. Damn!' I thought as I began my walk in a small town to the west of Magnolia.

I was interrupted from my inner monologue by the cries of a young boy yelling, "Extra, Extra! Read all about it! Salamander sighted near Shirotsume Town and Mt. Hokabe!" At the mention of the Salamander I ran and practically tackled the kid at the mention of a location and gave him my jewels for the paper.

Quickly opening the paper I opened to the article of the Salamander, '_Breaking! Natsu Dragneel aka the Salamander has been spotted! For the past few weeks there have been reports of random fires around Shirotsume and Mt. Hokabe and the cause of them had yet to be determined, that is until a brave reporter from the daily sorcerer, Jason, risked his life and investigated the mountainside. What he found was one pink-haired mage, Natsu Dragneel training and trying to stay warm. When he attempted to approach him and ask him if all that occurred was true, however, he was attacked by the Salamnder and forced to flee for his life. When asked what Salamander looks like now Jason replied, "It's like he's a wild animal, COOL! COOL! COOOOOOLLL!" We ended the interview as medical services arrived and whisked him away but sources close to Fairy Tail state that they already dispatched the newest wizard saint, Laxus Dreyar grandson of Makarov and rank 7 among the wizard saints, to deal with Dragneel. However other sources report that the campsite that Salamander was most likely using was destroyed and all traces of his being there gone. Now…' _I stopped reading and was immediately off to the train station to the town next to Shirotsume, the name of which I didn't bother to learn as I began to plan out my strategy, 'he's on the run, and he won't still be heading west so I'll wait for him here and then I'll ask him for his side of the story!' I was pulled from my reverie by the ticketman and watched as the town I was in pulled away, sending me on a hopeful collision course with the Salamander.

Six months after the last article

'SIX GODDAMN MONTHS! I'VE BEEN WAITING HERE FOR SIX GODDAMN MONTHS, FOR HIM!' I internally raged as I sat at this café that I had begun frequenting during my stay. I had been waiting in this town (called Nintai as I learned and that name fucking fits as I have had all my patience worn thin by the Salamander) for six, long, grueling months as I awaited the arrival of the Salamander. But today my fortunes were bound to turn, as my contacting of people who are world-renowned trackers and finally one contacted me saying that he too was interested by the Salamander would help me in my quest. 'That must be him now.'

Now I am a very tall man, I stand at 6'4 and weigh a good 260 pounds of muscle, but that wouldn't have mattered if I wanted to intimidate the man walking towards me. He was dressed in a similar cloak that I was wearing, it covered his face, but he was a good foot shorter than I and seemed extremely thin. However my notion of hiring a guy I was going to have to babysit left as soon as he was within full viewing distance and speaking distance, his face was scarred and his eyes told me he could snap my neck if he really wanted to and not even feel bad about making the mess of my dead body, let alone for killing me. I stood and put on my usual scowl which was accentuated by a long scar that ran down the left side of my face that was left from a wyvern attack. His voice almost caused me to lose my scowl as I flinched at the deepness and harshness in it as he asked, "You the guy who hired me?" I nodded and he said "You can call me Gōsuto…oh you a foreigner eh? Then call me Ghost or can you understand Japanese?"

"Of course I can, how do you think I have survived here so long? But I do think so that no one understands us when we call each other by our names, you can call me Padre Naturaleza." I said holding out my hand and asking, "So what you got for me?"

" So you're hunting the Salamander huh? Well here's my idea/plan, I can track anyone with my magic of the shadows, but first I'm going to need something of his so that my magic can trace him…"

"And how do you propose we get something of his? Not exactly like we have a treasure trove of his shit." I asked already beginning to lose faith.

"I was getting to that! Baka! I have it on good source that Fairy tail has yet to touch his house yet, meaning that a treasure trove of his shit is still there! All we need to do is…"

"What are we waiting for?! Lets go to Magnolia then come on!" I said standing up only to be pulled back down by Ghost.

"Baka! Patience you think I wouldn't already have gone there if I could have! They have someone watching the house, Kurogane I think, waiting for him to come back, they think he's an idiot and will come back on his own and run into their trap." He said quite obviously irritated.

"Ok then what's the plan genius?" I said sarcastically, my already thin patience wearing to about as thin as the hair on Ghost's head.

"Well lucky for us there is a sure in for us to where Kurogane will be gone and we can sneak in unabated." He said as he slid a newspaper clipping in my direction, "And this it."

'_Big News out of Fairy Tail as they have officially announced the wedding of Gajeel Redfox and Levy McGarden! The wedding is set for two months from now and will be held in the Kardia Cathedral and will be a private invitation event…'_

I looked and smirked at Ghost and said, "So we have two months to plan huh? Well then I guess we could walk there and plan on the way if that's ok with you?"

"Sounds like a plan, Padre." He said as we shook hands and made our towards our new objective, the Salamander's den.

Two months and one week later

"Extra, Extra! Read all about it! Fairy Tail wedding crashed as the house of the Salamander broken into during the ceremony! Read all about it" I smirked at the headline and paid for a paper. "Thank you pops!" The kid said earning my ire for calling me 'pops', I ain't that old!

"Hey stop skulking and read it already!" Ghost whined as I opened the paper, '_It seems Fairy Tail can't catch a break even if it hit them square in the face as the house of Natsu Dragneel aka the Salamander was broken into during the ceremony of the wedding of Gajeel and Levy Redfox. The house was kept in perfect condition by Salamander's old partner Happy the exceed and a young mage named Lisanna Strauss, both hoping for his return while Redfox was acting as the guard of the home waiting for Salamander so he could bring him in. However seeing as all three were incapacitated/preoccupied at the wedding no one was able to watch over the house, leaving it open for two looters... _"LOOTERS?! FUCK THEM I'M NO LOOTER, I WAS DOING MY JOB!" Ghost yelled as I quickly smacked him on the head to shut him up, wouldn't want anyone hearing him ramble on about that.

"Shut up! And let me finish baka!" I whispered yelled at him, when he mumbled his assent I continued, _'who only took a shirt of his. Neither were identified as both wore cloaks that covered their faces from the videotape lacrima posted inside the house… _"SHIT! Good thing we wore the hoods up!" I whispered yelled and got a furious nod of agreement from Ghost as I continued '_and no leads have been found on who they are. Master Makarov has refused to comment on the matter but has upped security at the home…'_

"Well we have the shirt and now I think we might have a lead. My magic is pulling me towards…Shit." He said and I looked at him concerned, "It's pulling me towards the direction of Crocus." Shit indeed.

Two Years after "The Event"

"Well now what?" I asked Ghost as we walked the streets of some god-forsaken town we were in on our search. "Crocus was a dead end and so was every other town so far, so now what…" I paused as I felt a vibration from my bag, a vibration that could only mean one thing, the woman I was waiting for had arrived and she was close. "Yes! Hey Ghost we're gonna have to take a break from searching for a bit, I have to meet up with someone."

"Oh and why is that?" He asked annoyed.

"My wife has finally made her way here to Fiore and will be joining us soon…So yeah I kinda want to see her you know?" I asked and began to unpack the device that lets me know how close she is and looked at it.

"There's no need to use the device… I'm right here cabron!" I heard a very familiar feminine voice say as I turned around and saw a woman who was medium height and build dressed in the female version of the cloak I wore. She walked over and looked down at Ghost, yes even she's taller than the guy, and then walked over to me and before I could give her my usual bear hug greeting I was greeted with a fist to my jaw. Ghost broke out laughing as I hit the wall behind and was promptly lifted off my feet by my wife as she yelled, "Cabron I've been wandering this country waiting for you and then trying to find you for a whole year! What .The. Fuck! cabron!" She yelled as she let me down.

I quickly pulled her into a bear hug and said, "I'm so sorry babe! I got kinda distracted and never heard or felt the device let me know you were here. Im so sorry! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" I pleaded as I pulled back and gave her a long and passionate kiss on the lips. We parted for breath and I said " So I'll take that as a yes?" I joked in between breaths.

I ended up flying back into the wall and groaned as she said, "CABRON! You really know how to ruin the moment huh?" She asked but all the anger in her voice was gone and replaced with her usual sarcasm, oh how I missed that. "But yes I forgive you…Ummm two questions who's the midget and what have you been up to?"

I laughed and said, "Oh baby do I got a story for you."

So after relaying the events of the past two years as well as introducing her to Ghost, we sat down at a small café and she asked, "So Ghost huh? Well ok you can call me Madre Naturaleza." They shook hands and she pulled today's paper and said "I think you should read this, they might be able to help us out."

'_Shocking News! The independent, dark guild hunting guild Crime Sorcière was defeated by a duo of unknown mages only known as the "Couple From Hell's Gates"._

_The entire guild was wiped out in a single battle between the two forces, however no one was killed. The guild, no longer on the run constantly as the charges against them and the jail time terminated making them all free people, was then promptly disbanded and have gone their separate ways, the leader Jellal Fernandes, Meredy, and Cobra have since been taken in by Fairy Tail. The one known as Richard has joined Lamia Scale and the other two, Hotshot and Midnight went their own way only to be found dead a week later, most likely by the duo looking to finish the job. When asked if he could tell us anything about who they fought, Fernandes said that, "All I saw was fire and bright lights."…_

"Fire! As in fire magic! It could be him! It could be the SALAMANDER!" I yelled excitedly.

"Yes! We could have just gotten the break we needed! Let me check with my magic… It's saying northwest of here! Lets go!"

"YOOOOSH!" We all yelled in unison and went to the train station off to find the Salamander! Finally!

Two Years Later

"UGH! TWO FUCKING YEARS AND YET NOTHING!" I groaned as we walked down the path of Mt. Hokabe, how we got back here is mystery to me. "GODDAMN! NOT EVEN A SNIPPET OF INFORMATION HIM OR THAT DUO!"

"Yeah it's weird, as if he's everywhere at once right now I can't get a lock on him anymore. " Ghost said as they walked, "Wait, someone else is coming, no two someones!"

"Crap! Everyone formation F2, I'll take point, Madre be my support, Ghost in the back!" I barked out the orders tensing up and preparing my mind for battle.

However the duo that we saw floored us as we saw two people one clearly male, about 4 inches or shorter than me but he was muscular and could probably take me on one versus one, and the other a female, who was still taller than Ghost but not by much, and her hands on her hips like she was extremely annoyed by all this. They were the two we were looking for! The "Couple From Hell's Gates"! They were here! Right in front of us! The man spoke before I could ask my questions, saying, "We hear your lookin' for us eh? Well that's good, we've been looking for you too. We wanted to ask you a question."

"Well? What do you want?" Ghost asked tensely not sure of what they wanted. We all tensely awaited his question, my right fist already turning into steel and the other into water, my magic allowing me to control and manipulate elements and use them to change my body composition or create things, which is why they call me Padre Naturaleza.

"Don't worry relax," he said reaching for his hood, "I ain't gonna hurt you, in fact I was going to ask you guys… Would like to join us and make this a five man team?" He said as he and the female pulled down their hoods, allowing us to see who exactly they were. The truth left us floored.

10 Months Later

"Extra, Extra! Read all about it! Another Fairy Tail Wedding! Read all about it!" The paper boy yelled as I walked up and bought today's paper.

'_Finally! The date we have all been waiting for! The official date of the long-awaited wedding of Fairy Tail's very own Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser! Two months from today they tie the knot and leave Lucy Heartifilia the last bachelorette from that generation of mages…"_

"Oi! Jefe you see this yet? A pretty big day huh?" I asked the bossman and prepared for some sort of object being thrown in my direction for interrupting his breakfast, which happened a lot.

But to my surprise nothing came but a light chuckle and Jefe saying, "Oh? And what makes today such an important day? Well come on let me see it!" He said as I passed him the paper, "OH! This is a big day! You know what this means right?"

I grinned stupidly and asked, "Time for plan: 'Venganza'?"

"YUP! Everyone lets go!" he said standing up and making towards the door, everyone else following him.

**XXXXXX**

**A/N: Holy Guacamole! (I'm sorry I'm super cheesy) That was 3,002 words of transitional chapter cheese! But I liked the way it turned out. And if your wondering what cabron means it spanish for dumbass. Hahahaha! Please Read and Review, Adios!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Preparations

**A/N: Surprise two chapters in a day! Special thanks to UnAlignedSausage69 (yes the name is correct) for his/her review and shout outs to jar2241 for following the story and to ashfrenzy for not only following but favoriting AND reviewing the story as well and earning the award as my favorite person of the day! And now on with the show, story, craziness, whatever this is!**

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Magnolia X-798 (Laxus POV) 2 months before the wedding

BUZZZZ BUZZZZZ BUZZZZTT… Fuck. That's the eighth alarm clock this week and it's only Tuesday… I hate alarm clocks so FUCKING much and yet everyone keeps buying me one! Ugh, Olive's gonna be pissed when she… "LAXUS! DID YOU JUST DESTROY ANOTHER ALARM CLOCK! THAT"S THE EIGHTH ONE GAWDAMMIT!" my wife screeched at me from our kitchen. Yes that's right the strong and powerful wizard saint, lightening dragon slayer has been tamed by a female, although it's not surprising since her tempers like Erza's, just without the magic to help scare you. Yes she's a normal person, but, eh, who cares I love her.

"WELL THEN STOP BUYING THEM WOMAN! LORDS KNOWS I'M JUST GONNA KEEP BREAKING THEM!" Well most of the time. She's shorter than me by at least two head lengths and is feisty enough for two but I guess that's why I love her, the only woman not scared of me. "Why did you set so early anyways? It's a FUCKING TUESDAY! My days off of work so I can be here with you and Maks (his son), so why are we up at… SIX AM?! THE FUCK!" I protested loudly as I walked into the kitchen.

"You forgot huh? We have to go and greet all the guests of honor today for the wedding, Sparky." She said the nickname part sarcastically, well at least she tried to be sarcastic but instead it sounded fucking sexy as hell. Fuck I love her so much.

"No I didn't but you know…" I said as I started kissing her neck and began to move down to her throat, "They wont get here until eight, which means we have at least an hour before they get here…"

"WAAAAHHHHHH!" came a cock-blocking cry from the nursery. Fucking kid, I love him but I haven't gotten shit since Olive got pregnant a year ago. The occasional blowie and jerkie-jerkie but not the whole thing… fuck I need to get a babysitter one of these nights. "WAAAAAAHHHHH" Maks yelled calling for one of us to help him out. We both groaned at this as we both longed for the feel of skin on skin that we haven't gotten since we had it daily when we got married three years ago. "WAAAAHHH!" 'Huh? Are the cries getting closer and louder? Olive's right here and so am I so that can only mean…

"Laxus! When your son cries it is the job of the parents to take care of the child not ignore it so you can make more of them!" Oh dear gods no, how did gramps get in here? "Although if you need a babysitter so that you can do so in peace I would more than gladly volunteer! Right First Master?"

"Tehee, yes of course we would both gladly volunteer our help!" Giggled the deceased first master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion. I groaned, now I have two, er three if you include Maks, headaches at… 6:10 in the morning… Fuck me.

"JIJI! MAVIS! How in the world did you get in here?" I asked quietly seething and loathing today more and more.

"You leave a key under the door for when your drunk so we used that." Gramps answered coolly while shrugging.

"Knock First!" "Oooohhh how you hate your grandfather!" "Shut up Jiji!" "OH! The pain! You wound me so!" And so began a rather long argument that was only ended when Olive hit us both on the head with her heavily dented frying pan, both our heads filling the indents our head have left over the years. Ow, this happens way too often.

"Now both of you, BEHAVE OR I'LL TURN YOU INTO TWO MORE MAVISES!" She seethed threateningly at us. I gulped loudly and we both nodded our assent to her demand, not wanting our one-way ticket to being ghosts just yet.

"Ok, sorry babe," I said as I kissed her forehead which always worked in calming her down. "Now Jiji," I said turning to gramps, "what's the matter the guests aren't getting here until eight right?" Gulping audibly as I saw his face sighing I asked, "Who and when?"

"The entire Lamia Scale contingent, it would seem Lyon could not wait in trying to convince Juvia she's making a mistake." I sighed nodding as gramps said, "Now come, get dressed they are almost here and we cannot delay any longer, and thank you for the food Olive." He said grabbing a slice of bacon as he left.

"Oi! Jiji! Stop eating bacon it'll shorten your already short life!" "Baahh! Please! My life is already almost over anyways! Let me live already!" "UGH! How old are you again?" "Too old my boy, too old!"

It was true though out of everyone from his generation, only Gold, Porlyusica, and himself lived. Everyone else had died of old age already. I sighed as I got dressed and made my way out the door and after Gramps not even close to ready to face the day.

Thirty Minutes Later

Off in the distance I saw a strange gleam and heard shouting, the gleam almost as if it came from a super polished rock…oh wait that was just Jura's head. "Hello Lamia Scale and welcome to Fairy Tail!" I greeted as warmly as possible. They looked at me like I had just strangled a cat and were horrified of me. Scratch the ability to be hospitable off the list of things I can do…

"OH HELLO LAXUS!" FUCK! Why did they bring Richard along? I mean he's a nice guy but he's also kinda crazy. "Hello Laxus-dono, Makraov-dono" Ah Jura the only wizard saint ranked higher than that is not a god of Isshin, the only person than Jiji that I respect.

"Ah! That gleam earlier was your head huh? Hahaha!" he sweat dropped a little, well I don't have to show him respect right?

"Ok, great pleasantries out of the way now, WHERE'S JUVIA?!" asked the most pathetic excuse for a man that I have ever seen. Honestly the woman's getting married, let go baka!

"Sleeping and will not be seen if anyone tries and ruins this wedding. THIS MEANS YOU LYON!" said a very irritated voice that belonged to none other than the man who is marrying the aforementioned woman, Gray Fullbuster.

"Oh you got these idiots now? Great now if you need me I'll be at home sleeping until the rehearsals later, got it Fullbuster?" I said as menacingly as I could. But I was tired and it sounded a little flat.

"Yeah I'll handle the guests, I know you just got back from a job so go home and rest." He said to which I quietly thanked him and made my home. Well at least there no one will annoy me that I wont forgive easily. Hopefully.

Meanwhile, Elsewhere in Magnolia (Lucy POV)

'_No, No, NO! STOP PLEASE!' _"LUSHY WAKE UP! LUSHY!" I woke with a start as I felt a furry paw shaking my face. "You were yelling in your sleep again. You should go to a doctor, the nightmares are getting worse again, huh?" Happy asked me from his spot above my head, he had moved in with me five years ago and what he said was true, lately the nightmare had been getting worse and more frequent.

"I'm fine Happy don't worry about it so much, kay?" I asked him and as was about to protest I said, "Promise me Happy, Please just promise okay?"

"…Aye sir." He said as he always did but as had happened since that day, it was nowhere near as energetic as it once was.

Sighing quietly to myself I got up to the go through my morning routine and thought back on how long it has been and how much has changed since that fateful day. Gajeel and Levy, Elfman and Evergreen, Laxus and Olive, and even Erza and Jellal had gotten married. And now Gray and Juvia were about to tie the knot and then there was me. Single, alone, living with a cat… oh dear gods I'm a woman's nightmare scenario in terms of love. And the guild as a whole was vastly different, the once genuine kindness and love they gave everyone had dimmed and become fake and phony, only a superficial show meant to give the appearance of normalcy but anyone who knew the people of Fairy Tail could tell the truth. It was no longer the same Fairy Tail. And the worst part was how they treated me, like I was some sort of pariah who shouldn't be touched lest she break and we be held responsible. UGH! I hated it! The only people who treated me normally were Gajeel, Levy, Laxus, Olive, and Gildarts, though I suspect Levy is doing it for show as well. Team Natsu disbanded almost immediately and I was forced to go on solo jobs ever since and am quite glad for this actually. Because of this I have been able to grow stronger and am no longer considered a burden by anyone. But I don't know it all feels off still, me doing only solo jobs, I guess because I still somewhat feel used to doing everything with Natsu that doing solos is something I'll never get used to.

I was broken out of my reverie by the door of my house opening and the voice of Levy filling my house, "Hey Lu-chan! Are you ready to go down to the guild yet? We have to help set up for the dinner rehearsal!" ah Levy, my one true girlfriend who I could tell anything and expect nothing but support from.

"Almost just let me finish drying my hair!" I replied as I ran a towel through my hair and walked out of the bathroom and threw the towel into the dirty clothes bin. "Ok, ready! Let's go! C'mon Happy!" I said leading the way out of my apartment and onto the street leading to the guild. Ready to tackle the day and begin the preparations of a very important event.

(Quick POV change to an unknown POV)

I watch as the members of Fairy Tail scurry about and prepare for the rehearsal later on tonight. I wait until no one would see me and move within the city boundaries and find a good hiding spot near where the planning hub for the wedding should be and grin devilishly as I get exactly what I wanted, a guest list, seating arrangements, itineraries, the whole shebang, the jackpot! I take photos of everything using a video lacrima and leave as soon as I can. Wouldn't anybody seeing me and the plan going to shit. As I leave and go back to the rendezvous point I enter the secret frequency we're using and say, "The hawk has the mouse and is coming home, OK WHO MADE THIS SHIT UP! I SWEAR THIS FREQUENCY BETTER BE SECURE OR ELSE!"

"Stop yer yapping and hurry up we're waiting for you dumbass!" Came a reply and confirmation that everything went according to plan. I grin again and speed up, the fun would start soon.

Outskirts of Magnolia (Gajeel POV)

'Hmmm there's on odd scent out here, better be careful.' As head of security for the wedding it was my job to make sure nothing happened like my goddamn wedding! Bastards looted the place I was supposed to protect and yet they looted the place! In the middle of my GODDAMN WEDDING. Bastards are gonna hell to pay if I ever find them, and that's a promise! 'Five scents?! What? I only smelled one a minute ago what's going on? (sniff, sniff) They're close!'

My thoughts were interrupted by a fist crashing into my skull, the owner of the fist saying, "See I told you he'd come."

"Hmmm I guess you were right, so Kurogane since you're here how you can help us out with something, something that I can only trust you with. Oh and mind there is no real other option." Said a man, and as I looked up to see the man, my jaw of steel dropped down and hit the floor with an audible thud.

**XXXXXXXX**

**A/N: Whew its done! I feel bad for Lucy, I'm so mean to her giving PTSD and no love life, but hey I'm evil and partially sadistic according to my friends so I actually don't feel ALL that bad. But anywho I digress, I'll update again in a bout a day or so unless I get some serious motivation. And if anyone can correctly guess all five members of this little group they get an imaginary cookie and a shout out and the award as mind-reader of the year. So Read and Review to answer, and Adios!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Wedding Roles and Surprises

**A/N: So yeah kinda got bored while watching Baseball so I decided to write this chapter for you guys! Shout-out to DeeTii for the follow! Hope you guys enjoy it!**

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Same Day- at the guild (Juvia POV)

Juvia paces back and forth watching as the guest that will be apart of her wedding file in and she wonders 'Is Juvia dreaming? Is she really getting married to her beloved Gray-sama?' She looks at her left hand and sees the beautiful ring on her left ring finger, 24 karat gold with and an ice diamond, yes an ice diamond made by Gray-sama, and she immediately understands she is not dreaming. She then looks up and sees the women of the guild lining up near Mira the wedding planner, who while perhaps not the easiest to work with, she was the only one she would have gotten as she preferred living to being dead, a mistake that Evergreen almost made. The wedding was postponed two months to allow for Evergreen to recover from her injuries. The reason for them lining up is that Juvia must tell them who will have roles in her wedding and who will not. Juvia prays that she will live long enough afterwards to have her wedding.

"OK Juvia they're ready for you!" Mira called out to Juvia as Juvia looked up and sighed, shuffling over nervously.

"Ummm, J-juvia thanks everyone for coming t-today. Please know that Juvia did not make any of these decisions lightly and that she hopes everyone understands her choices!" Juvia says quickly and quietly hoping that everyone has heard her. They nod their heads in understanding and Juvia takes a deep breath and announces, "Ok Juvia has chosen little Joi-chan (Gajeel and Levy's daughter) as the Flower Girl!" murmurs of agreement pass through the group as this was the obvious choice, "A-a-as Bridesmaids Juvia got to choose four and she has picked Levy-san, Lisanna-san, Wendy-san, and Erza-san." Murmurs of surprise run through the group as they realize Lucy has not been given a role yet, but little do they know, "A-a-and as my Maid of Honor I have selected Lucy-san!" The group was quiet for a moment before applauding the decision and commending Juvia for putting aside her prior belief that Lucy was her love-rival at some point. Those not chosen for any role left quietly leaving the six women chosen to hold roles in the wedding. "Ok, everyone I thank for your cooperation in Juvia's wedding! Juvia hopes that she is not a bride-zilla and that we can all get along! You will know the one that you are partnered up with shortly, we just need Gray-sama and his choices." As Juvia finished speaking her beloved Gray-sama and his choices entered.

"Hey Juvia you're all set I see. Alright so do you want to tell them or me?" he asked as he walked up to her and placed a chaste kiss on Juvia's lips. Realizing that this was in fact happening, Juvia promptly fell to the floor unconscious.

(POV Change to Gray)

"… Ok so I guess I'm telling you guys the pairings then. Gajeel you get Levy, Elfman has Lisanna, Jellal has Erza, and Wendy you get our newest member and a friend of mine…" I paused as Doranbolt appeared out of nowhere.

"Doran-san! You did quit the council like you said you would!" Wendy yelled as she ran and hug her 'friend' (totally her boyfriend) as we all cheered for his sudden arrival.

"Yes, as promised I am here to stay this time." He said as he kissed her on the lips earning a collective aww and promises to neuter him if did anything to her that was unwanted.

"Ok, ok settle down. Lucy as maid of honor you get the best man: Loke!" I said a bright light appeared and vanished as quickly as it came, leaving Loke in its wake. "Should be easy enough for everyone right?" the group nodded their assent as Juvia stirred and stood.

"Wait! Where is Gajeel-kun Gray-sama? He is not here!" I looked around and realized she was right. Where was that idiot? Juvia would kill him if he missed even a minute of rehearsal time and then be depressed about killing, therefore killing our sex lives! …Ok so Juvia's not the only one crazy with love and lust for the other but damn! Those legs.. "…Gray-sama!"

I jolted from reverie with a start and looked at her apologetically saying, "Sorry wondering where Iron-breath is. Levy you know where he is?" I asked his wife, which would make sense as she lived with the lugnut, however she shook her head and said, "I haven't seen since I went to go pick up Lucy. Hey Lily! Lily! Come here for a minute!"

At the call of his name Pantherlily flew over and asked, "Yes Levy? And have you seen Gajeel by any chance? I've been looking for him."

"No that's what I wanted to ask you, I haven't seen him since this morning." Uh-oh, I'm seeing my sex life slip away as Juvia begins to look irritated and angry, shit. Angry Juvia was worse than depressed Juvia, last time she got mad we had to move to a new apartment due to the water damage. The sex afterwards was great but I'm feeling for Gajeel right now. NEVER DRAW HER IRE. I learned that the hard way.

As if waiting for his cue, Gajeel walked into the guild nonchalantly as if he did nothing wrong, bastard. "Hey sorry I'm late, had to chase off some guys who were trying to sneak into the planning hub. Don't worry they didn't get shit from there so we're good." I sighed deeply in relief, angry Juvia would not surface today and Gajeel has just saved his life from an early end, for now given his job was given to him by Juvia who specifically stated that if he failed and a fiasco like his wedding happened she would melt his steel off and then skin his flesh right off. I believed and so did he so he took his job as head of security very, very seriously. "So what did I miss?"

"We just finished pairing everyone off and were about to explain the rehearsal schedule to everyone." I said as I walked up and whispered in his ear, "so the intruders give ya that mark on your head?" He nodded and I nodded and said to everyone, "Mira has set up the schedule so I hope that you are all ready for hell!" They all groaned and skulked off to find Mira and get their schedules for hell training with the Demon Mirajane.. Fuck. Us.

(POV Change to an unknown person)

I take a sip from my drink and relax as I watch the people scurry on by doing this and that. I look around and find my man, and immediately stand and begin to follow at a distance, wouldn't want him to see me and book it, now that would foul up everything. I watch as he reads a piece of paper and picks up his pace, now going at light jog, avoiding people here and there when necessary. I groan but pick up my pace as well, damn why did he have to be an exercise freak? We reach a point where there are very few people and not enough cover on the ground, shit does he know I'm following him? I watch as he runs over a man that was roughly his height that I saw coming towards him like a runaway freight train… Ok, he's quite obviously too stupid to notice me so I leap up and onto the roof and out of any chance of being detected.

I followed him until he reaches a house built as if it were a dojo, damn he really does love exercise. I close the distance between us and wait until he opens the door. I sneak in behind and wait till he closes the door, which he never does! The Fuck? Is he really that trusting or does dare people to rob him since he is a mage of Fairy Tail after all. I shrug and pounce as he enters what seems to be the main room of the house and knock him out with one quick strike to the temple. The only I hear him say are "Coming home after a meeting is MAN!" before crumpling under the force of the blow… I was right he is an idiot. I get to work onto phase two of the plan, time for the fun to begin!

(POV Change to Evergreen)

I arrive home to find the door open as usual… I'm going to kill the big lug soon if he keeps this shit up. However my anger immediately ends and is instead replaced by pure and utter horror as I see Elf stapled to the ceiling, badly beaten and barely recognizable, the skin so deformed he looks like a demon instead of an elf. I screech loudly enough for people in Crocus to hear me and fall unconscious in a puddle of Elf's blood.

(POV Change to Gajeel)

"OWWW! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT SCREAM?!" I yelled as I was sitting at a table in the guild with master, Laxus, Juvia, Gray, and Mira. Then I process the scream and pale realizing who it was. "Everyone! I think I just heard Evergreen screaming! Wendy, Laxus, Cobra what about you three?" I asked the other dragon slayers who all nodded their heads and rose to their feet. "Fuck, let's go!

A few minutes later

We arrived at his house to find the door open and footprints leading into the house. We rush and immediately recoil at the site before us, Elfman stapled to the roof with Evergreen unconscious below him in a puddle of his blood. 'Damn this is gruesome…wait stapled?!' I look up and see that he is indeed stapled to the roof much like I used to do…

"Gajeel, Laxus get him down from there so I can heal him! Gray move Evergreen, Levy and Juvia find her some suitable clothes to change into." Wendy commanded as we all looked at her for moment, "Quickly!" she ordered. Damn she sure has grown up quite a bit since we first found her, timid and shy no more she truly has grown up.

Moving quickly now, Laxus and me ripped the staples out and as soon he was free Master grew as big as he could in the house and caught him and lowered him gently to the floor muttering about how he was going to kill whoever did this. Gray had taken Evergreen to her room and was followed by Levy and Juvia, who kicked Gray out so they could change her in peace. Wendy had already begun to work on Gajeel when the old hag came into the room as well, followed by Elfman's sisters who were sobbing at the site of their brother. "Good job taking control of the situation child now let me help you bandage him." They finished quickly and she ordered, "We're gonna have to carry him to the infirmary, black cat! Come here and carry him as quickly to the guild as you can and take Wendy too, you are capable of doing this correct?" she asked Lily who nodded and transformed into his real body and carried the two out. "Now where is the woman? Is she awake ye…" she never finished as a blood curling scream let out from Evergreen's room and continued until the old hag entered the room and began to calm her down. Damn, I'm failing at my job.

(POV Change to previous, unknown character)

I watch the whole scene unfold and smirked to myself, damn, everything was going according to plan. I rid myself of the smirk and let my paranoia kick in, this was far too easy and there's no way this string of luck will continue. I turned satisfied with the results and returned to the rendezvous point, giving the mission success statement over the lacrima, " Santa's helper has delivered the message." Wow we really need to change our code phrases. I arrived at the rendezvous and asked, "So how did everyone else do with my little distraction?" I asked those gathered, their response a knowing and happy smirk.

**XXXXX**

**A/N: Damn poor Elfman, but in reality if you leave your door open like that you're bound to get burned. Stupidity aside we're making good progress here! Expect an update soonish, maybe Monday night at the latest. Until then, Read and Review, Adios!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Bad Day to Horrible Day to Average Day

**A/N: Hey look a new chapter! Just for you guys!**

**Natsu: Oi writer person wtf? Where am I in this story?**

**Huh? How did you even get here? Shoo I'm introducing the chapter! Enjoy chapter 6 everyone! Now back into my brain you! Oh and shout out to nico2883 for favoriting and ElyseexD for following!**

**XXXXXX**

(Lucy POV)

The scene was gruesome, almost as bad as what happened to me five years ago. I look away from the scene and walk outside with Mira and Lisanna, the former saying, "Lisanna-nii, lets go and get Porlyusica so she can help heal up Elf-nii!" Lisanna nods and they both run off to Porlyusica's house. As I watch them go I see a shadowy figure out of the corner my eye. He's watching us, I realize but he doesn't notice me yet. I sigh thinking, 'Just like everyone nowadays, overlooking me and thinking I'm a nobody.' I watch as he…is that a smirk? Is he smirking? 'Could he have been…' my reverie is interrupted by him turning and leaving and him pulling out a communication lacrima and starting to say something. 'Hmmm I need to follow him but I really shouldn't leave… I got it! Open the gates of the twins, the maiden, and the scorpion!' I open the three gates with ease as Virgo, Gemini, and Scorpio appear before me.

"Ok guys there's a guy I need you to follow, he's wearing a brown, full-body cloak and ran off to the west, Gemini transform into a flying animal of sorts and follow via the air, Scorpio use your sand and dirt to see if he's on the ground and track him, Virgo chase underground using Scorpio and Gemini as guides. If anyone finds him do not try and fight him. Let me know and I'll join you as quickly as I can, now GO!" I say as they follow their orders and begin the search. I sense another person running up and see Gildarts coming my way with a look of serious concern on his face. "Elfman got attacked and Evergreen was the first to find him, she was unconscious from the shock when we got here." I inform him.

"Ok, and what's with the spirits?" He asks me, he knows this is no longer an issue to have three spirits out at the same time, but he knows that I never do this so quickly without good reason. After the incident he took me on shorter missions with him and helped me train to get stronger, for which I am forever grateful for and now see him in a new light. He's become like second father to me and is a father that I actually like, unlike Cana, but then again he doesn't get all lovey-dovey with me so that's a plus.

"I saw a guy who I think could be our culprit, so I sent Virgo and Gemini after him and am having Scorpio see if he's on the ground yet or not." I explained, he nodded after I finished explaining and I saw his eyes look towards the house as I say, "Everyone else but Mira and Lisanna are inside, those two went to get Porlyusica-san from her house. You should probably go in and check in with master." I tell him as he nods and goes inside.

I sigh and turn to Scorpio who's brow is furrowed in concentration and ask him, "Any luck?" He shakes his head but continues to focus as I sigh, and pull Gemini's key to my mouth and using it like a communication lacrima I ask, "Any luck Gemini?" Meanwhile I pull out another key, Crux's key.

"No, I still don't see him, sorry!" I sigh at his response.

"No don't worry. Didn't want to call him before I had more information on him but open gate of the cross, Crux!" I yell as Crux appears before me. He's already 'asleep' knowing what I need him to do.

"… Sorry master Lucy but it seems I cannot trace his magic. I truly am sorry." He informs me as I sigh I knew it was a long shot but it had to be done. "I'll be taking my leave now. Goodbye."

"Kay thanks Crux, sorry for wasting your time." I sigh as he leaves and I see Scorpio looking at me exasperated, "Nothing huh? Well you can go if you want, say hi to Aquarius for me, kay?" He nods and makes to leave but tenses up.

"I found the guy! He's on the outskirts of town!" he yells as I quickly stand up.

"Which direction?" He points straight to his left, "Ok go on back you've been out here a little while. Open the gates of the lion and the goat, Leo and Capricorn!" I summon my strongest two and say, "Lets go! Gemini come back to where I was and let them know what happened, Virgo go back I might need the magic power." I command as they all begin to do as they were told. The three of us head off in the direction Scorpio pointed us and we begin our chase, hoping it ends like a lion's hunt, prey in hand.

Six Hours Later

… Well that was more like a lion cub hunt for us. We found him where we thought he would be, well at least we though we found him but it turns out it was just a psychic projection and not really him…Oh well at least we know he is a decent mage since he can do psychic projection. And yes it's a he, we saw that he had a beard and muscles as big as my entire body for arms so if he wasn't a guy… lets just say that that person would be in a circus if he was a she. After that we searched the area but found nothing and are now returning to the guild, well at least I am I sent back the Loke and Capricorn earlier and am walking alone, frustrated and worried. 'Who was that guy, what does he want? Who was he talking to? How strong is he? Where did he come from? Why am I asking so many so many rhetorical questions?' I wonder as I open the guild doors to see chaos has ensued inside, Gajeel is a stone statue frozen in the middle of the guild while Levy and Evergreen are fighting near him, Levy demanding he be de-petrified while Evergreen was shouting that he was the one responsible for today's events. Meanwhile Gray is comforting a very upset Juvia who keeps mumbling that her wedding is doomed to end up like Gajeel's and Gray had those scary demon slayer eyes on, daring anyone to mess with him or disturb him right now. The Strauss sisters were in the corner crying about Elfman with many people trying to console them… And Max and his broom were… doing their thing. Looking I sweat dropped and saw the only people seemingly under control, Master, Laxus, Jura, and Richard. Cobra was calm but that was because he was talking to his wife Kinana, yes another couple in the guild… Fuck my love life. I walked over to the group to report what I had been up to dodging attacks left and right from Levy and Evergreen's fight.

"Oh Lucy! There you, quite lively today isn't it?" I nodded and avoided some of Levy's conjured fire while Laxus and Richard ducked Evergreen's eye laser. "So where have you been? You disappeared on us earlier today at Elfman's house."

"That's what I wanted to discuss with you, actually." I said as I dodged more of Levy's solid script, damn! Where's Erza when you need her? I retold my story to them, their faces turning serious and worried about what they heard.

(POV Change to Jura)

I listened as Lucy began to retell the story and grew very worried, I had a bad feeling about this. "Lucy what did the man look like again?" I asked as she finished her story.

"He was wearing a full-body cloak that was brown and covered most of his face, except for his beard that was dark brown." She responded and said, "I'm gonna go and see if I can calm those two idiots from destroying the guild, I hope the information can be of use." She said and turned around joining the fray in the middle of the guild.

"Makarov-dono, there is something I wish to discuss with you as well." I said as he nodded and the four of us went upstairs to his office as the door closed and we all took a seat I said, "There is something you should know… Richard-dono and I have both had it confirmed to us by sources that, that… Natsu Dragneel was killed by that new group calling themselves 'The Ronin'." I said, the last part quicker than the rest and looked the Fairy Tail master in the eyes.

"WHAAAATT?!" Both Laxus and Makarov yelled in utter disbelief. "HOOOOOWWW?!"

"Apparently they found him about six months ago trying to run from some council enforcement squads, with the rest of the legion not far behind. They quickly defeated the entire legion by themselves," at this their jaws dropped, this was almost impossible to believe s they are a group meant to stop mages with numbers yet they were defeated by just five of them. Continuing my story I said, "yes an entire legion, just the five of them. Apparently Natsu was grateful and wished to say thank you and returned to do so as they were finishing up, but they then turned on him and attacked him. Even after defeating an entire legion of magic enforcement, they still had more than enough power left to crush Natsu. He put up a valiant effort but was ultimately slain by 'The Ronin'. My source was their on the scene but could not get a good view of any of their faces, so we still don't know what they look like, but we know their names, well at least two of them, the two made up the pair known as the 'Couple From Hell's Gates', the man is called 'Hades Judge' and uses some sort of fire magic…"

"WHAT? NATSU DEFEATED BY FIRE MAGIC?!" Makarov yelled visibly shaken.

Yes apparently his fire was too much even for a fire dragon slayer. And the woman is called 'Hell's Angel' and uses an unknown type of magic that emits bright lights, other than that we know next to nothing." I said finishing my story.

There was silence for a while before we heard the door open with a crying woman falling through followed by Gray, Gajeel, Levy and others. The woman in question was Lisanna and she was incredulous sob yelling, "NOOOOO! IT CAN'T BE TRUE!" she continued to sob uncontrollably as the others stared in shock. The only one who seemed unaffected was Lucy but she looked more numb than anything.

I sighed deeply as I stood and turned to face them, "Yes it's all true, I'm sorry for your loss." I said bowing to them and the turned to Richard, "Richard-dono we should leave at once and allow them to have their time alone."

"Yes. In the name of their love." He said as we both left and returned to our hotel, 'turned a bad day into a horrific one.' I thought to myself as we skulked back to our rooms.

(POV Change to unknown character)

'Hahaha the bait was taken!' I thought to myself as I watched the mages who simply stood in disbelief.

"Our chance at revenge, gone. Taken…" said a black haired man who…was in nothing but his boxers with his hands about to take them off… the fuck? Where are the tears and the sobs and the promises of revenge? 'This isn't the reaction we wanted!' I yell to myself.

"Yeah! We were supposed to be the ones to do him in! Not some second rate freelance team!" THE FUCK?! This is nowhere near how we thought they would react, in fact this is the exact opposite.

"Eh I'm indifferent, he's dead right? So who cares then. Good riddance I say."

"Yeah but it sucks I wanted to be the one to do it though!" They all murmur in agreement to what the man with blonde hair and wicked scar said.

'SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIIIIITTTT! I have to report this now!' I quickly left my vantage point and raced toward the rendezvous point, concern readable all over my face. 'FUCK! This is not good…'

XXX

After a few moments I arrive and see the others waiting for me, the bossman asking "Why are you here? I thought I had you watching the guild!" He asked clearly irritated.

"Sorry boss but I was then Jura told them the news about the Salamander, but.."

"But what?" He asked pointedly, now clearly interested.

"They weren't sad or nothin'. They were mad, not about him being dead, but him being killed by someone else other than them. They sounded more disappointed more than anything, well except for one who was crying her eyes out the one we we're watching closely, Lisanna." I reported and saw his face scrunch up in annoyance.

"FUCK! WHY ARE THEY SO DAMN UNPREDICTABLE?!" He yelled as he punched the side of the mountain, the punch sending a massive crack up the side. "Fuck! Alright time to switch to plan B. We're taking this to 'em. Here's how were gonna do it." He said as we all listened intently to the new plan, not wanting to miss a detail that would cause us to mess up and earn his ire, like the mountain just had.

**XXXXX  
>AN: Natsu: THE FUCK?! YOU KILLED ME!**

**Oi get out of here! Back in your corner! (Brings out whip and forces him back) So what did you guys think? Pretty messed brain over here huh? Hahaha well it was either write this depressing chapter or study for physics… So yeah I made the obvious choice here. Oh and by the by the question still stands, can you guess who makes up the five-man team of people terrorizing Fairy Tail? Answer via Review or PM, so PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Salt on wounds

**A/N: Wha?! Three chapters in one day? In honor of five hundred views and ashfrenzy getting close to being correct on the poll question in the last chapter, I decided to write you guys another chapter today. Don't worry it will be around same length as the other three. And there will be a mini fight scene! Shout out to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for reviewing, favoriting and following my story! Now as long as there are no interruptions… Please en…**

**Natsu: Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!**

**(Avoids it)GODDAMNIT THAT'S IT I'M PUTTING YOU ON A TRAIN!**

**XXXXX**

One week Later (Gajeel POV)

"FUCK! I'M GOING TO KILL THAT BARMAID" I yelled as I woke up.. ok just got up. Ever since that attack on Elfman I've had to step up security and still go to all the rehearsals and events on that bitch of a barmaid's schedule. I haven't been sleeping at all and was starting to feel the effects. I walked over to the kitchen to see an equally tired Levy and a still sleeping Joi sitting/sleeping around the table. "Oi shrimps, wake up we have a practice photo shoot in two hours, we have to be there on time," on time meant an hour early since I'm head of security and Mira wanted everyone there an hour early, lest you want to be flogged by her demon side. Trust me you wanna be there on time, just ask Doranbolt or Mest or Mestanbolt, whatever his name is it's too early to think right now. Just know he is in the same boat as Elfman in terms of health right now, "Don't make me carry you dressed like you are right now, that would be embarrassing for us all." Levy had on her pajamas, which was my shirt, and Joi was in a onesie that had dragons and iron bars all over it.

"UGH! Give me another half an hour please! I couldn't sleep last night and I need at least another half an hour of peace before I start my day." I sighed but nodded my assent, "Thank you, hey since your dressed could you go throw away the trash outside?"

I groaned but did so anyways, it was my turn anyways and they really needed the rest right now. As I walked outside to the dumpster I saw a female, dressed in a blue full body cloak with a hood covering her face, the only way to tell she was a female was her long hair that flowed out from her hood and her massive rack, perched on a tree that overlooked our house, her heard turned towards the window that lead into the… THE KITCHEN! "Oi woman! Who are you and what do you want?" I asked and prepared to attack, she heard my voice and turned to look at me.

A second later a fist was coming towards my face and the only thing I could do was duck and roll out of the way, hardening my skin into dragon steel and charging at her and throwing a series of punches in the form of my steel clubs. Like some sort of boxer she merely just dodged them all and jumped back a few feet. Damn she's quick, a second later her fist connects to my skull and sends me into the tree, luckily my scales caught the brunt of the blow and I'm able to jump back at her and launch a steel sword attack at her knees, trying to take out the source of her speed. She merely jumped back and looked at me, smirking.

"You're not half bad Kurogane. Kukuku! I would enjoy fighting you." She said in a creepy voice, making my skin crawl.

"Thanks, you're not half bad yourself. And would? What are we doing now?" I ask trying to find a hole in here defense, waiting for her to relax.

"Oh this? This is me getting my morning work out in." She replied before putting her hands up to her mouth in a manner similar to my roar…wait she couldn't be… no way. "Pistola de Aceite!" she yelled before black bullets of goop come at me, hitting me square in the face but not doing any damage as the goop is only… Oil? The Fuck? Luckily I blocked it from getting in my eyes and am still able to see her trying to run away.

"Oi stay and fight me!" I yell running after her, before she turns around one hand near her eyes and the other in front of her torso and yells, "Luz Brilliante! Charcos de Agua!" Both her hands light up, one releasing a blinding light, the other releasing water that began to create puddles. I would have lost her had not it been for the timely arrival of Lily in his true form, "AH! MY CAT! YOU REALLY ARE THE BEST!" I yell as he carries me in a hot pursuit of the bitch, no way I'm letting her escape now.

However before the chase really gets started, she turns and yells, "Huelga del trueno!" Lightening appearing causing Lily to freak out and drop me and return to his cat form.

"DAMMNIT! We were so close!" I yelled extremely frustrated, I was sucking at my job as head of security, and looking at my watch I groaned, that barmaid is gonna kill me now, I'm gonna be actually late.

Later at the guild

I walk into guild still covered in oil and extremely frustrated as that bitch got away. The barmaid immediately sees me and transforms into her demon form and pushes me up against the wall. "AND WHERE HAVE YOU THREE BEEN! YOU'RE AN HOUR LATE AND COVERED IN OIL! EXPLAIN!" She yelled, all the while smiling at me, if people think Erza's scary then they haven't seen this crazy bitch in her demon form yet. "WELL?!"

I sighed and asked, "Please let me down I'm already embarrassed as it is." I ask quietly causing the bitch to calm down and lower me to the floor, master, Laxus, Jura, and company walking over to see what had happened. "Good you're all here, now I won't have to repeat myself. I was attacked this morning… I lost her before I could see her face…"

"WAIT, HER?" Gray yelled doubling over in laughter.

"Shut it! And yes! Now as I was saying…" I retold the entire story including the fact that she wore a cloak eerily similar to the one the guy Bunny-girl chased after, as I finished I said, "I'm beginning to think that the two might be workin' together. But since we haven't caught either of them yet, I can't be sure."

Juvia began to ball her eyes out, truly believing her wedding to be doomed to end terribly while the others pondered the information. The first to speak was Cobra, "You said she said 'pistola de aceite for sure, right?" I nodded wondering where this was going, "Well in case you didn't know the guild I was in before it was called 'Oración Seis' which is in a language called Spanish, which we all knew a little of, right hoteye?"

"Yes, it true. My favorite language actually, a language of LOVE!" He corroborated.

"Right, well that stands for oil gun, which is what the attack was like, right?" I nodded still slightly confuse where this was going, "Then that means that she isn't from around here, she's from a country that speaks Spanish most likely. We just have to find everyone who's a foreigner and see if they are that person."

Holy shit, he's right! "Good call Cobra! Laxus, Baldie, Loverboy, lets go and do this quick so we can get this over with!" They all nodded their assent and we made our way out the guild, before I left I said, "Oi stripper! Stay here and make sure the woman are safe and get Juvia to stop crying!" He nodded as he tried to console Juvia, and with that the six of us, Cobra and Jellal who magically appeared from his week long 'vacation' with Erza this morning extremely tired but happy joined our search team and then we were off. It was 10 am.

(POV Change to unknown character)

I watched as the group that was in front of the guild left and turned asked the boss, "Are you sure it's real? I mean I heard a rumor about it but I don't believe it's actually real." He simply looked at me, his eyes saying he was certain, sighing I said, "Ok but not all the big guns left, Fullbuster's still there and we both know I'd be no good against…" I stopped feeling his gaze bore into the back of my head, "Ok, ok just making sure, I just hope this side project of yours is worth it." I said beginning to sneak my way in.

"Trust me, its more important than the main plan." He said, the seriousness in his voice telling me just how vital this part of the plan was. I gulped loudly and made my way to the roof of the guild and slowly burrowed my way in. I landed on a beam in the rafters of the building and made my way to the far end over by the masters office and went to the wall next to his door, luckily no one was up here as they were all downstairs divvying up responsibilities and employing counter-measures so they would not get hurt. So cute, thinking theirs safety in numbers, oh how little they know about us and our knowledge of them, Kikikiki(his laugh)! I find my way into the office and find a secret switch that I didn't think actually existed. HOLY SHIT! Could it really be here? Could it be real? I heard a click and saw a secret passageway down to something that if it is actually there, I might actually shit myself in terror and excitement. I secure the door behind me and walk down the stairs slowly not wanting to find any booby-traps too late. I reach a point where its way too dark to see so I light the torch next to me, and continue my descent. I finally reach the bottom where there's a bright light waiting for me… Holy Shit. HOLY SHIT! ITS REAL! I NEED NEW PANTS… Shit. I undo the runes on the door and pull it open and pull out my communication lacrima and put the frequency in for the boss and almost yelled into the lacrima "Boss!"

"Was I right?" he said coolly not even surprised by my outburst.

I looked at the thing some call the darkness of Fairy Tail, others the Light of Fairy Tail, "YES! LUMEN HISTORIE IS REAL!" It was jaw dropping… and terrifying.

12 hours later(POV Change to Laxus)

"Well that went well," I said sarcastically, walking into the guild with the others dejectedly, we had been searching all day and had searched every inch of Magnolia and found no foreigners. In fact they had mistaken Richard as one and had been trying to convince us he was. Ugh, what a waste of time. "Great plan Cobra! It went so well!"

"Ah fuck you! I don't see you coming up with any plans now do I? At least I tried!" He yelled defending himself, coming right up to my face and pokes my chest, "What about you sparky? Huh what would you do?!"

I shove him off me and take a fighting stance ready to take out my frustration on him before Olive walks up and smacks me upside the head. "Calm down Laxus! Something happened while you were gone…" she said quietly as I looked to see gramps and others looking at office door and discussing something, "Someone broke into his office and opened some sort of secret door that led to some secret thing that only the master can know about. They didn't do anything else but its extremely embarrassing for Jiji, he was pretty embarrassed about it blabbing about how he was failing in his duties." Shit.. she doesn't mean… that does she.

"Oi Jiji!" I yell causing him to look at me and nod, I gulp audibly and breathe out, "Shit." Someone knows about Lumen Historie and has seen it.

(POV Change to unknown character)

I arrive at the rendezvous point and see the others waiting as usual, the boss looking extremely happy about something, he sees me and says, "It's like I said, it's real, Lumen Historie is real, the plan is a go. We move in seven weeks."

**XXXXX**

**A/N: Whew it's done! Now to everyone who's wondering if Natsu's dead… Here's how this is gonna work, take the poll and PM me your answer, question in the previous two chapters, and if you get it right and swear secrecy so as not spoil the story for all then I'll tell you the truth. READ AND REVIEW! Adios!**

**Natsu: Get. Me. Off. This. Train. Bleh!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Assault and Battery

**A/N: Best feeling in the world? Getting to go home from school while everyone else has 2 mores of hell left, hahaha! Gotta love block scheduling and short days! I have been noticing that whenever the story updates the story does not say it is updated and is backlogged for a while, so if you have any part of the series because of this just start at chapter 5 and go from there, unless you want to read the whole story again! However be forewarned this chapter is darker and has more people being beaten up. No fight scenes though, so Please… Huh I guess he stopped trying interrupt me, so Please Enjoy!**

**XXXXX**

A few days later (Unknown POV)

I stalk through the crowded city streets and continue after my target, following her as she goes through a now seemingly daily routine of buying things for her job early in the morning so she has them for the day. I follow discreetly, walking stand to stand, pretending to browse at items while making sure the stand I'm at is at an angle that I can see her at. She finally heads to the register and begins to pay for everything, as I head to another register line that had me next up, as my turn came I ask for a pack of the best, most expensive cigars they have. She pulls out some from the small country of Hamaki, a place only big enough for one factory, a cigar factory, and it's the best in the world. I smirk and hand her enough money and tell her to keep the change, as a tip, all the while keeping my eyes on the target as she finally finishes paying for everything and begins to head to her work where she opens up and is there for at least two hours before everyone else. Guess that's what being alone in life gets you, job-life or cat-life. How sad, oh well.

She arrives at her work and sighs deeply, dragging enough stuff behind her to last for at least two days, she silently mumbles to herself, "With everyone in the guild already paired up, there's no relationships to mettle in…" …what's wrong with these people? Oh well, I have a job to do and as she opens the door and drags her cart inside I sneak in via the window above the door and perch myself on the roof until I'm sure she's distracted by putting everything away, I came down and crept over to the bar she was behind. She never noticed me as she was so enthralled by her work, so I stood and put my superior acting skills to work, laying on the gruff and deepening my voice, I asked "Oi, Mira-nee…"

She stilled for a moment. Crap! Did my acting not work? Well then again that is why I'm a freelance mage instead of an actor like I thought I could be. But then she squealed, "EEEEE!" and began to turn around and address me, she only ever got "Elf! You're…" before my fist met her face definitely breaking her nose and her cheeks. I smirk as she flies back completely unconscious and lands unceremoniously on the floor. I laugh at the position she lands in as she has one hand on her face like she was feigning surprise and the other on her hip as if she was about to give me sass. I found it hilarious and set to work, preparing my surprise for the members of Fairy Tail once more. I guess being caught off-guard runs in the family huh? Kekekeke(the person's laugh)!

2 Hours later (POV Change to Makarov)

I walk to the guild and go through my usual routine, fantasying over the women of our guild, my thoughts turning to the beautiful barmaid. Damn she was hot! "Ah! Can't think like that anymore, doctors say I gotta keep my heart rate low, since I'm so old and such, but what's a man to do? The women of Fairy Tail are smoking!' To change the subject on my mind I think about the embarrassment that happened a few days ago. 'Damn! How could I let someone sneak into my office and actually sneak into the basement where THAT is? How embarrassing! What would Mavis or Precht think?'

"I would tell you that it wasn't your fault, sixth master." Said the former of the two masters my thoughts had just mentioned. Startled a bit I jumped and turned to see her spirit there looking at me in concern. "I could tell, you were thinking about the break in, don't worry so much. You were busy taking care of the members of the guild, how were you supposed to know someone would do that? Not even I could calculate a scenario where this exact outcome was feasible, so don't beat yourself up over it."

"Thank you first master. And I have a surprise for you." I tell her as I continue my walk to the guild, "I have invited Warrod and he has agreed to attend the wedding and come early and use his plants to help with security."

"EEEEEEEEEEEE! He's coming?!" She asks with a smile on her face, "Other than Precht, bleh! He's the only other person I haven't seen yet since I died." She looks at me and I nod and she begins humming as we soon reach the guild.

I look at the guild and notice the doors are open, and worry immediately consumes me. While never locked thanks to Mira arriving so early, the doors are never simply left open, and with a majority of the food left by it, just inside the guild. I begin to run and plow through the open doorway and look to the bar, the color in my face immediately draining away. Looking up I see Mira frozen to the wall behind her, bloody and beaten with marks, 'those look like burn marks from a cigar…', all over her body. But perhaps the most horrifying part, and the part she would care about the most was that her was cut almost all off, except for a ring around her head that was meant to look like mine. I began to shake with anger as Mavis came run floating behind asking, "Sixth, what is the problem… oh no, oh no. I'll-I'll go get Porylusica" and left without another word, leaving me and my tears of anger to silently cry in rage alone.

(POV Change back to attacker)

I pull out a lacrima and say coolly into it, "The bar is closed for the day. Kekekeke!"

(POV Change to Gajeel, warning small citrus coming!)

I moan at her touches, "Ah! Levy! FUUUUUCK THAT FEELS GOOD!" she giggled as she trails kisses down my stomach and reaches the waistband of my boxers before coming back up my torso, "stop teasing like that…" I breathe out as she giggles again and sucks on the junction of neck and shoulder, leaving a mark. No longer wishing to wait as I know we won't just be going one round this morning since today was an off day and Joi was with her uncles, I flipped our positions so I'm on top and begin to trail kisses down her body lightly sucking on her right nipple. These breast may not be too big, but to me they're perfect.

I start working the other one, kneading it roughly with my index finger and thumb. "AHH!" she breathes out as I continue my ministration, "Gajeel give it to me!" Oh! OH YES! She's not only in the mood but she wants it now! "Give it to me now!" She breathes out in between moans and pants as I continue working on her breasts, but quickly stop and rip off my boxer, quite literally as I rip them in two and throw them somewhere in the room. My member stands at the ready fully erect and throbbing, longing for release. I position myself at her entrance licking my lips, oh gods how I long have I waited for this to happen again. I push in, tip only at first as she's still super tight and small. She writhes at the feeling and yells, "GIVE ME MORE!", she doesn't have to tell me twice as I push my length in fully and almost lose control and cum, damn she's tight. Regaining my composure, I begin to work a steady rhythm up pulling out until just the tip was left, and pushing back in roughly.

I was lost in my actions until suddenly the window flew open and I heard Gray's voice coming closer to the window, "OI! GAJEEL WAKE UP AND GET DRESSED… AAAAAHHHH! MY EYES!" Me and Levy both turn beet red in the face and quickly sit up and out from each other.

I groan at not being able to finish, but then recall the distress in his voice, "Oi, stripper what happened, it better be important, seeing as you interrupted something right now!" I growled at him as he stood up regaining his composure.

"It is… there was another attack today, this time IN THE GUILD." He said with a seriousness that could only mean that the words he just said were in fact true, not a joke.

I pause trying to find the words to say, "…Fuck. Who was it this time?" I ask slipping on boxers and reaching for my pants, which Levy quickly handed me as she was putting on one of my shirts.

"It… it was Mira." He said quietly causing us both to stop and look at him, the color in our faces gone. "She was assaulted this morning right after she got into the guild to set up for the day. She was frozen to the wall behind the bar and was burned repeatedly by what we think a cigar and Wakaba guesses to be a Hamaki cigar, the scent or something gives it away. And her was cut off and now she looks like master… it was a gruesome scene." He said, his fists shaking from the rage. He then looked up and said, "Oh and by the way the old plant guy, Warrod is here."

I looked at him and nodded while I put my headband on and said, "Ok I'm ready, lets go. Levy wash up and go and grab Joi with Lily then go to the guild and do not leave unless I'm with you, ok?" She nodded, grabbing her pen just in case. I looked wearily at her and quickly scooped her up in a hug and gave her the most passionate kiss I had ever given her, which she melted into, and let my worry flow through my lips. Wanting it to never end, I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see Gray looking sullen as well, as I nodded and said, "Levy, stay safe please."

"I will, now go and do your job, head of security." She said giving me the courage to move and leave my house, the look of concern never once leaving my face. The strongest guild in Fiore was under siege, and her defenses were failing.

At the guild

As me and Gray arrived, I saw Warrod outside waiting for us and master looking at the sky with Mavis trying to console him. "Oi, what's the situation look like?" I ask as we approach the doors, catching their attention. "Where's Laxus and Jura? I would have thought they would be here so we could come with a plan?"

"They're inside, we were waiting for you. Where were you?" Master asked as I shifted uncomfortably.

"He was fucking Levy, getting his morning wood out." Gray said way too nonchalantly.

I smacked him on the head and yelled, "DON'T TELL THEM THAT!" I regained my composure and said blushing a little, "Sorry about that, it was my day off so I wanted to…enjoy it."

Master nodded his head and said "It's ok Gajeel, I understand. Now before I forget, this is Warrod Sequen, one of the original founders of Fairy Tail."

"An honor to meet ya." I said holding out my hand.

"Huh? Me? I'm not Warrod… I'm just kidding yes I'm Warrod!" He joked and shook my hand as I sweat dropped, his reputation was spot on, he was a jokester. I hate jokesters.

"Ok now that you two have met we need to go and make a plan, I already have the calculations running through my head!" Mavis said floating through the wall

"OOOOH! You guys are in for a treat, seeing Mavis makes me feel old. Oh wait I am old! Hahaha!" Oh dear gods kill me, this is gonna be a long month and a half.

As we walked in we saw the scene and I almost barfed as did Warrod, seeing she was still up there, Master asked "WHY IS SHE STILL UP THERE?!"

"We can't get her down the ice won't melt anytime soon and if we move her we might hurt her more. Gray, could you come here and help us out?" Laxus responded, clearly disgusted with the situation as well.

"I've got it!" Mavis yelled and caught everyone's attention, "Gray you said that Wakaba said it was a Hamaki right? So we just need to go and ask all the stores and ask who has bought Hamakis recently since they are rare and are sold here, Alyphica, or in Crocus! Then we take that information and try and see if anyone looked suspicious when the were buying them and if they got a look at the guy!" As she finished we all began to nod and I finally felt us gain some traction in our defense here.

"It's not gonna work." Said a new voice I had not seen walk in, Wakaba was the source of the voice. "I already went and asked if the market here had sold any today and while they had, the lady who sold it to the guy said she cant remember what they were wearing or looked like. Apparently whoever it was wasn't a face to remember. And the videos lacrima didn't see him." He said deflating everyone there, well so much for plan A.

"Ok so plan A's no good, what's our plan B?" I asked looking around.

"Wait Wakaba, you said he/she bought it today, right?" Mavis asked, Wakaba nodded and she continued, "So then either she was followed this morning or someone knows her routines, or both actually."

"Wait, you're not saying that it was one of us right?!" I ask her concerned and angry, while she may have been the first master she had no right to insinuate this.

"It might have been, which I refuse to believe, or someone with knowledge of us might be helping them because this was most likely whoever has been assaulting the guild." I glared at her pointedly but nodded my agreement. Fuck, this is bad, what are we gonna do? "Sixth I need you to call all guild members, current or former, in for questioning, and we cannot take no for an answer ok?" She told master as he nodded and told Laxus and Gray to gather everyone here in Magnolia and bring them here. They nodded and were off without a word.

I looked at Warrod and asked, "You ready to start working on setting up your plants so they can detect anyone in certain places like our houses, the guild, and the city gates?" 

"Yes, let's leave at once." He said seriously, and we leave, a feeling that the counterattack is about to start, and it was going to be bloody.

(POV Change to the unknown group's boss)

"So he came huh? Interesting, it's gonna make infiltrating different areas tougher but not impossible, ok continue gathering information and report back to me. I wanna know when the next stage of the wedding is, I wanna know who or what has what job now, I wanna know if Makarov sneezes, am I clear? I wanna know everything Ok?"

"Understood boss, I gotta go someone's looking for me, Number 2 out."

"Roger Number 2, Number 1 out." I put away the lacrima and begin to pace around the hotel room I'm staying in, thinking to myself 'So they brought in Warrod Sequen, huh? Oh well, not like it matters, we still will crush them and bring the plan to fruition, and I will have Lumen Historie as mine. Then I will be able to end things with him, for good' I stretched my legs and laid down, 'I have a week before things get too crazy and some time to myself… Nap time. The next time I wake up though, the whole town will be in shock.

**XXXXXXX**

**A/N: Dun-dun-dun. War is about to begin! Well kind of! Just wait until the next update later on tonight, and you'll see what I mean. Don't forget to answer my question of who's in the group and hope you realize just how mature this story is gonna be. Hope you like it! Please READ AND REVIEW!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Shock

**A/N: Whoa. I took a nap after posting the last chapter and when I woke up I had a review by nico2883, a follow from beareagle13, and 160 views… all in the span of about an hour and a half, wow! I'm really feeling the love guys! Keep it up and the chapters will keep coming as well. So please Enjoy!**

**Natsu: OI, WHAT THE FUCK? WHAT WAS THE TRAIN OF DEATH FOR?**

**HEY! NO, NO! BAD DRAGON! BACK IN YOUR CORNER! (WHIPS HIM AS A FIGHT THEN ENSUES), PLEASE ENJOY!**

**XXXXXX**

(POV of unknown character, continues from previous chapter)

'Hello there, what do we have here?' I think as I watch my target from the shadows, waiting for the moment to strike. 'OOOOOH! She's going home alone? This makes my job much easier. If the information is right, then she should pass an alley that is pretty dark and secluded. Kekekeke! Too easy!' I watch as she begins to make her way home, taking the exact route that I was told she would take, sighing I think 'I do wish that someone else would have been there though, make it more fun. And lords know I could use the exercise, haven't punched anyone since we got here. BORING, oh, now lookie here, the alley is only a little farther now. Better get in position.' I think to myself quickly moving, using the shadows for cover, thank goodness for the little street lighting.

I situate myself near the corner of the wall on the far end of the alley and wait for her to pass by, seeing as she is still a good minute or two away from reaching me. I check to make sure no one's watching or nearby, and wait until she's right next to me, 'good thing she hung close to the walls' I think as I say "Peek-a-boo!" my fist connecting with her temple. She falls to the ground with a thud and lands on her knees, slumping forward. "Hey buy me dinner before blowing me. KEKEKEKE!" I cackle as I drag her into the alley and down the hidey hole there that leads into the sewer system. 'Ugh it stinks down here, why couldn't we spring for nice hotels, or foreclosed warehouses? Why did we have to be cheap and use the forest?' I think as I sling her over my shoulder and look at the map, luckily for me I took her out pretty close to the edge of town and the exit I needed to take. I begin my walk to the exit at a brisk pace not wanting to be there forever, and wanting to go back and sleep. 'Damn she's light, she could use a few steaks here and there, give her some meat on those bones!' I think to myself as I near the exit, sighing in relief, I peek through the opening and check if the coast is clear and see that the city's new defenses are up, massive motion sensing plants courtesy of one Warrod Sequen, fourth rank wizard saint and god of Ishgar. 'If this is a "gods" power then I'm not even worried, this is pathetic. Then again, he is really old, over 100 now.' I think to myself as I reach the camp and go through the hologram and walk into an large room with three beds, two of which were occupied. 'So those two are here too? I guess it makes sense since we are going dark for a little while.' "Oi wake up, I'm back! And I have the target with me!" I yell waking the two up.

"Wha… oh its you. Ok, go and put her in the storage room, the boss wants her locked up and no one is to talk to her until he gets here tomorrow. Understood?" said Number 3.

"Ok, ok, I'll go put her in her room now, you can go back to sleep, I can handle it." I said while yawning and looked and saw that number 4 didn't even bother to wake up, lazy bitch. "And tell your wife to show some respect, always say welcome when a teammate returns, that is the rule right?" I ask as he nods before laying down and waves me off. 'So much for team chemistry. Eh oh well we know each other well enough.' I think as I open the storage room and put her inside as I put magic rope on her, so as to nullify her magic. And realize 'Holy shit! She has blue hair!' … to saw I'm a little slow would be an understatement. But hey who cares right? I walk to the door and see her stirring, about to wake up, I immediately close the distance between us and knock her out cold again. Damn that was close. I close the door and head over to my bed and lay down, and close my eyes, sleep immediately taking over as I fade into my dreams.

(POV Change to Charle)

"Oh Happy I'm worried!" I say as Happy looks up at me. "Wendy's not home yet and it's been over an hour since she should have left the guild and she still not home yet! HUMPF!" I say crossing my arms and puffing out my cheeks in annoyance.

"Aw don't worry Charle! She's probably… hehe… 'busy' with Doranbolt!" He says as he starts laughing while I look on in horror of his implication, my paws covering my blush, "She liiiiiiiikes him!"

"Why I never how dare you presume that of dear Wendy! She is much to innocent and young to be doing that!" I cry out indignantly. How dare he insinuate such a thing! I cross my arms again and begin to leave him when there is a loud knock on the door and we both look to each other wondering who that was.

I fly over to door and open to see a very concerned Doranbolt as he comes in. "Have you guys seen Wendy?" He asks as I feel my stomach drop and my heart follow after it. "I was going to take her home but she insisted on going alone, so I let her."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" I cry and begin to feel tears form in my eyes, " WE THOUGHT SHE WAS WITH YOU! SHE HASN'T COME HOME YET!" I yell as the tears begin to fall freely now.

"Wha-WHAT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE HASN'T' COME HOME YET?!" He cries out, the color of his face like that of Mavis, almost see through. "OH DEAR GODS! NO!"

He begins to cry as well and we cry for a bit until Happy speaks up, "Stop both of you!" he says sternly causing us to look up, "We need to go and report this to everyone else, now! Before we lose her!"

"Y-ye-ye-yes! You're right! Let's go now!" I say trying to put on a brave face for him. The three of us get up and quickly leave the house and begin running to the guild, fear welling in all of us. 'Please be safe Wendy! We're gonna find you I promise!' I think to myself, a new determination setting in as we rush to the guild.

At the guild (POV Change to Laxus)

I sit and listen to Olive tell me about her day, enjoying the time spent with my wife, until the guild doors fly open causing everyone to turn and see who it is. What I see worries me for the nth time today, it's Doranbolt and two of the exceeds. They all look worried and pale as if they had seen a ghost, one not named Mavis. "Oi, where's the fire?" I ask standing and walking over to the trio.

"IT'S WENDY SHE LEFT HERE OVER TWO HOURS AGO, BUT WE CAN"T FIND HER!" Charle yells, causing the guild to go silent and all those gathered losing the color in their face.

"WHAT! EVERYONE GO AND SEARCH FOR HER AT ONCE! SOMEONE GET GAJEEL AND WARROD! GO!" Gramps yelled from his spot on the ledge as he rose and jumped down to where I was, "Laxus go and see if you can smell her out. NOW!" he yelled as I quickly said bye to Olive and went on my way to find her. Hopefully we would find her soon. I don't know how much more angst the guild they could take.

A day later

"SHIT! Still haven't found her yet. Oi, Gajeel, Warrod you guys find anything yet?" I ask as we are near the outskirts of town, looking for her using our noses and Warrod using his plants. We've been at since we found out that Wendy was missing. And we have found absolutely no sign of her or of any sign of her scent. It was as if… no cant think like that.

"Nothing, my plants can't sense anything and his nose has yet to find anything." Warrod said as Gajeel nodded his agreement. "Come on we need to go and report to Makarov the lack of progress, we'll pick up from here later." 

I nod my agreement to the plan and we take off, none of us too excited to go back, empty handed again.

(POV Change to 'The Boss')

I woke up and immediately heard the hurried footsteps of people looking for something. The lacrima was ringing, ringing really loudly but I coolly picked it and said, "Hello?"

"Yes sir, this is the reception desk. We have a Mr. Three looking for you." The lady said, I was grinning ear to ear as I knew that the plan went off without a hitch.

"Ok, please send him up to my room please" I said and put some clothes on.

"Hey boss. The job went as expected, we got the girl and are waiting for you to talk to her." Number three said.

"I actually decided not to talk to her, wouldn't want to give away our identities just yet. Just keep her locked up for a week and then do as we discussed. Understood?" I ask him as I begin to walk towards the door.

"Understood. Off to train are we?" He asks as he leans against the wall.

"Yup, gotta keep myself in shape, we will have to fight eventually you know." I said, smirking at him.

"So you say… need a partner?" He asks as I nod in agreement to proposition, "Ok, let me go to the bathroom and I'll meet you at the clearing behind camp."

I nod and make my way out of the hotel room and down the streets, smirking as I see the people of Fairy Tail scrambling, looking for their lost guildmate. 'If only they knew the truth, then they would know how fucked they are.'

A week later (Number 5 POV)

I wake up and all I get is a note. But that note is the most important note that I have ever seen. The boss was definitely happy with how easy the job was and was allowing me to do this part alone. I pulled out a cigar from their hiding place and light it and walk over to the storage room an open the door and promptly knock out the child so she couldn't see my face. I sling her over my shoulder and begin the long trek into town. The weight on my shoulders heavy than when I first nabbed her, 'Damn that woman, she fed her better than before! Fuck her, making the short guy carry someone his own weight, knew there was a reason I always hated her.' I grumble to myself internally, entering the sewers and making the walk to my destination. I groan as I read the map seeing how far of a walk this was going to be. Twenty miles. Fuck.

Twenty Miles later

I huffed and puffed as I finally reached the exit that led to my destination, the big tree in the southern park of Magnolia. 'Well time to go to work on her face, her torso, and her legs. I'm gonna fuck her up real good' As I read the specifications left on the note, the last line catching my attention, _Remind them of the Phantom Lord Incident._

(POV Change to Makarov)

"No… not again." I say to myself more than anyone else. I'm in the south gate park and just like what occurred 19 years ago, I see a blue haired woman, badly battered and marked, her once flowing hair now gone except for a small piece on the very top that looks like Warrod's head. I look her in the face and quickly look away from young Wendy's almost lifeless, naked body. These people truly have no shame, and when I find them, I'm going to make sure they suffer before I kill them, with these two old, little, wrinkly hands.

**XXXXXX **

**A/N: WHEW! That took longer than I expected, but definitely worth the wait. This story is starting to get serious, as the plot thickens and we get closer and closer to the wedding day. Yes, the wedding will happen as planned, as will be stated in the next chapter, but the reason why will be a secret until then. And thanks to everyone (Natsu stirs underneath me, so I whack him in the head knocking him out again) who has read today, the count is now 247 views today and we are now at 247 people who have read this story! Exciting news! Remember, READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Concerns of the Heartbroken

**A/N: Well hello there! Man you guys are awesome. 0ver 970 views and four new followers! Shout outs to mtopping1992 and videogamerfan144 for both following and favoriting my story and to Abbyren1516 and brucie86 for the follow AND to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER, brucie86, and nico2883 for the reviews. Keep it up guys! **

**Lucy: Oi are you the author here?**

**Uh-oh. How do they keep showing up here? Who's in charge of security? … Oh yeah its Gajeel, makes sense now.**

**Lucy: WHERE AM I IN THIS STORY? I MEAN THAT OC, OLIVE, HAS MORE SCREEN TIME THAN ME! WHAT THE HELL?!  
>Umm please calm down, unlike Natsu I won't hit you so please calm down.<strong>

**Natsu: Lucy, quick get him off of me!**

**SHADDUP! (whacks him unconscious again) **

**Lucy: Lucy Kick.**

**AIEEEE! HELP!**

…

**Lucy: Well I'm in charge now, so enjoy chapter 10! (Underneath her I'm writhing in pain.)**

**XXXXX**

The Next Day (Lucy POV)

"Open gate of the Goat, of the Twins, and of the Bull! Capricorn, Gemini, and Taurus!" I yell and the trio appear at the ready. I ready my whip and the four of us charge at Erza, our sparring partner for the day, as everyone watches; trying to forget the last few weeks. Even if it was only temporary. Capricorn rushes directly at her and draws her attention and her sword as he twists out of the way and kicks out at her head. She blocks with her forearm but is pushed back a few feet, but immediately recovers and stops Taurus's axe with her swords as she requips into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. She's getting serious, which is depressing since I'm only going at a third of my full power. "Oooooh! Heaven's Wheel Armor! Just for me? You shouldn't have."

I attack with my whip, striking out at he knee and grabbing on and pulling it out from under her causing her to become parallel with the ground as Gemini, transformed into Gajeel right now, comes in with blinding speed and throws a bone-crushing punch to her gut sending her crashing to the floor. A collective gasp escapes from the crowd as I'm able to land a down on her and most likely knocked her out. Or I would have had she not requipped into her Adamantine armor at the last minute, lessening the blow and allowing her to be ok. She stood up and took her stance, requipping back into her Heaven's Wheel Armor as she comes at me. She swipes at me with a sword and brings out another seven. I dodge her swipe and begin dodging the swords one by one, they move so slowly now that its not that hard to dodge them. As I dodged the last one by diving out of the way I put my hand up and cast a new spell, "Celestial Beam!" As pure magic power shoots out from my hand and hits her in the gut, knocking her back right to where Capricorn is waiting where he punches her up in the air towards Gemini who's now Pantherlily in battle form and he sends her flying down towards Taurus who catches her and throws her into the ground. Luckily for her she requipped into her Adamantine armor when I sent her back towards Capricorn, so she's not THAT badly hurt but is definitely not gonna get up any time soon.

As if understanding this immediately, Master calls the match and says, "Winner: Lucy!" I look at my watch and see that it took ten minutes to finish. That took way too long, but then again I was only using a third of my power and only used three spirits.

I sigh in fake satisfaction and walk over to Erza who's now sitting up in regular clothes again. "Hey are you alright Erza? I hope I wasn't too rough. Just wanted to see how far I've come with my training." I say holding my hand out and offering her my help.

She takes my hand and stands slowly and grimaces in pain as she does so. "I'll be ok. But wow Lucy I was taking you at about half strength and you were going at even less and still crushed me. I'm impressed!" she says giving me mock glory, lying through her teeth, she was going at least at eighty percent. I smiled at her and nodded my head in appreciation that was only skin deep, something I had been doing a lot of nowadays as I felt more and more ostracized by these guild members that I call nakama. Damn that pink haired bastard for giving me that reputation of being weak, I would give him a piece of mind if he were alive.

'I may have loved…ok still do even though he's 'dead' which is something that I don't truly believe. But I have a score to settle with him and unless I see a body I ain't buying that he's dead. I now have the stigma of being weak and needing his stupid ass to save me every time I fought, GODDAMN HIM!'

I am broken out of my reverie by Levy who runs up to me with Gajeel behind her, "Great job Lu-chan! That was amazing! Where did Erza go though? I thought she was still here…" I look around and realize she had skulked away with Jellal giving her a side-hug. Ugh, why does the guy I love have to be gone? And be the guy who assaulted me. UGH! Heart you suck so much right now.

I look at Levy and say, "Thanks Levy-chan, I'm a little tired right now, so I'm going home to take a nap ok?" I look at her and see her look a little concerned and reassure her, "Don't worry its just a stressful week and I wanna get some extra rest, Mira is due to be able to leave and resume the wedding planning schedule soon so I'm gonna rest up before that. Bye Levy-chan!" I say and turn to leave.

"Ok Lu-chan, take care of yourself" she says, and I hear the concern in her voice, not wanting to deal with this I continue on my way and walk down the streets of Magnolia.

As I near my apartment I see the fishermen looking at me and murmur to themselves like they do now, no longer thinking I need a reminder of the past. I sigh and continue to walk up to my apartment, the landlady not bothering to stop me as she senses the mood I'm in. She has turned into a second mother for me and has really grown to care for me as a daughter now. I summon Plue and walk into the apartment and call out, "Happy, are you here?" …no response, good I can rest in peace. I take off my shoes and walk to the kitchen and open the fridge, still slightly not used to the fact that Natsu hasn't eaten everything in sight yet. At the mental mention of his name my mood dampens even further as I prepare a salad with chicken for lunch. I miss him I truly do. I wish I could see him and hold him and wake up next to him like I did daily all those years ago. I fight back the tears, not wanting an even soggier salad as I put a good amount of vinaigrette on it and take the salad with me into the main room so I could watch the TV lacrima and enjoy a little afternoon to myself before hell resumes.

Not paying attention to where I was going, I bumped into the table and knock over a photograph on it, which shatters the glass. Cursing to myself I grab the broom and clean up the glass, as I put the glass in the trash I walk over and pick up the picture and see that it was a picture of Natsu and I. It was from the first mission we ever did and it was my undoing, I feel the strong surge of emotions coming from my heart and I fall to my knees and begin to cry my eyes out, sobbing loudly and shaking from the painful memories his name causes me to have, the nightmares he causes me to endure, the place in my heart he refuses to leave. I feel a hand on my shoulder as I see Loke trying to comfort me, he pulls me into a hug and I bury my face into his chest, crying even harder as I then sense the others coming as well, Capricorn, Scorpio, Virgo, Aries, Gemini, Taurus, Sagittarius, Cancer, Crux, Horologium, Lyra, Pyxis, and… even a shrunken down version of the Spirit King. I try to compose myself but fail and continue to cry as they all come around me and bring me into a big group hug, trying to send their feelings of sadness and of comfort into me. I manage a broken thank you, but continue to sob as I feel Loke carry and lay me down into my bed and tuck me in, giving a small kiss on my forehead and says, "Don't worry princess, you'll find him again, then we'll show him what when you hurt a celestial spirit's master. Now sleep and rest up, you have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow." He says as I feel the crash after a very long cry and fall into unconsciousness, sleep being a release from the pain.

(POV Change to Spirit King)

"Come, we must leave my old friend in peace so she may rest. Then we will discuss this issue of hers in great detail." I say as the rest nod and close their gates, with me following closely behind.

"Now Leo, what can we do about this?"

"I honestly don't know, Natsu is dead, so Jura Neekis says but she refuses to believe it. I honestly have no clue what to do…" I say as tears form in my eyes, "And seeing her in all this pain, it truly breaks my heart and I have no clue how to fix all this."

"… I have an idea." I tell him, "And it would be at no cost at all, it's something I've been meaning to do. Aquarius, please come here, quickly now." I ask as she quickly steps forward. "I have learned that the Celestial Blacksmith is finally back from his journey of 1,000 years, I want you to go and take your key to him and have him repair it. Tell him I have commanded this. And give him this note as well." I said passing her the note.

"…" She looks at me, eyes filled with tears of joy and happiness. She hugs my leg and rushes off to his workshop where he has just arrived.

"Wow spirit king, this awfully generous of you," says Capricorn, "Thank you for your support of meh master." He says bowing.

I look at him and smile, and tell him, "She won't just be your master soon enough."

Several Hours later (POV Change back to Lucy)

I awaken eyes puffy and my vision blurry, as my vision clears up I see someone I had not seen in seven years standing before me. "AQUARIUS!" I yell and hug her, and to my surprise she hugs me back, I pull back to make sure I'm not dreaming and ask, "How are you here right now?"

She looks at me and smirks, "Because of this." She says and holds out her hand, in it is her key completely repaired and good as new. Tears form in my eyes and I almost start crying again, but she cuts me off saying, "No more crying! You shed enough water to use it as a medium for me, geez calm down. There's one more surprise for you." She says, putting her other hand out and in it is a new key I have never seen before. "It's the key of the Spirit King and like your key of the paladin, it can only be used by you and your descendants. The key is bound to your bloodline." She says as I stare in awe at this key, its platinum like Paladin's and has a little crown on it, signifying that it is indeed his key.

"Thank you, Spirit King, for everything" I said as I put the keys onto my chain and stand up, with a new look on the day, today was now a top ten day for me. Suck it crappy feelings of love.

**XXXXXXX  
><strong>

**A/N: Lucy: sniffle…that was so sad!**

**See why I didn't want to write about you, your story is very depressing here and almost made me cry while writing it. So now that you have been given an entire chapter to yourself, can you please go back inside my brain and stay there. And take Natsu with you! Whew, ok! I'm back in control here! So what did you think? Pretty tissue worthy huh? It was tough writing this one and I teared up myself as I always do when I hear a really sad story like Lucy's is right now. KEEP REVIEWING! I'M REALLY FEELING THE LOVE GUYS! READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:The Concerns of a Friend

**A/N: This is gonna be chapter two of three today so be ready! Thanks for the love guys! Enjoy! …Finally I can do this in peace!**

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Same Day- That morning (Levy POV)

"Hurry it up shrimp, I wanna see the fight from the beginning!" Gajeel says as he drags me along. Today there is a sparring match between Erza and Lu-chan, and everyone is excited, mainly because it'll be an escape from the attackers who are terrorizing the guild right now. "Oi where should we sit, close right?" He asks as we arrive at the sparring field.

I look to see that it is extremely crowded already and can't help but share in the excitement. Everyone is here including a heavily bandaged Elfman who was finally released from the infirmary, the Lamia Scale group are here as well, even Mavis is here. This really has turned into a big event. "Yes, close enough to where I can cheer for Lu-chan and she can hear me." I tell him and look to see Max working the betting pool, "Go find us our seats, I'll be right back."

I walk over to Max and see a lot of money already placed on someone. "Oh hey Levy, here to put down a bet? Odds are for Erza winning: 20-1, with bonus odds of her knocking Lucy out at: 10-1. Gods know she doesn't understand mercy." He tells me as I become annoyed.

Does no one know how strong she actually is? I cross my arms and ask, "Has anyone put money on Lu-chan?" When he checks and shakes his head no, I become extremely irritated, but then a smirk crosses my face and I pull out 1,000 jewel, "Put half on Lucy winning and half on she knocks Erza out/Master calls the fight." He looks at me like I'm crazy but puts the bet down and I turn to go and find Gajeel. I find him sitting next to Juvia and Gray about a hundred feet away from where the fight's taking place. I walk over to them and take my place next to Gajeel and ask, "Did you guys place a bet on this?"

"Yeah, 500 on Erza, I was the first one and thought some people would bet on Lucy, but I was wrong." He said as I became annoyed again, everyone was trying my patience. "Has anyone bet on Lucy yet?"

"Yes, I did. 500 on her winning and 500 it ends before the half an hour is up." I said defiantly as they looked at me in surprise, Gajeel laughing it up at their faces. "What? Something wrong with betting on Lu-chan?" I ask now obviously annoyed.

"Well it's just that Erza is…Erza, she doesn't understand the meaning of mercy. She'll probably go close to all out." Gray responds, earning my quiet ire, how can they really not know how strong she is?

Before I could answer I look at the sound of a gong and see the fight begin in earnest. Lucy quickly calls out three of her spirits and charges, whip in hand. She quickly lands a good combination on Erza as Erza requips into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Wow she was getting nervous, but so would Lucy… right? I watch in shock as Lucy taunts her, then uses her whip to cause Erza to fly up, right to where Gajeel, er Gemini I think is and he smashes her into the ground. Everyone gasps in shock, jaws hitting the floor and mugs dropping. They had never seen Erza going so hard, yet be overmatched, it was simply astonishing to them. However Erza had requipped into her Adamantine armor and lessened the blow, she then requipped back into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and attacks Lucy directly, going at her at full power. I wanna yell for Lucy to dodge, but am too shocked by Erza going at full power against a guild member, yes she knows no mercy but this is too far. Or so I thought, but Lucy simply dodges all the attacks like they were moving in slow-motion, dodging the last one by lunging out of the way. Mid-lunge she puts out her hand and yells, "Celestial Beam!" as a beam of light pours out from her hand pushing Erza back to where Capricorn had snuck up to and he sends Erza flying in the air to where Lily is now waiting for her, Gemini I presume as Lily is sitting here with us. I see Taurus moving into position and I know what's about to happen. I look away in fear, and Gajeel sees this and asks, "Oi, Levy what's wrong… HOLY SHIT!" Everyone inhales sharply and I hear a loud cry of shock from someone. I finally look back to see a body laying next to Taurus standing at it's edge, Erza nowhere to be seen. I pause and look around for her only to understand she's on floor next to Taurus. My mouth is open in shock as master rushes out and ends the fight, saying Lucy is the winner.

This breaks me out of my shock as I jump up and yell, "I win my bets!" Jumping up and down in joy for a moment before realizing that everyone else is just looking on in shock. I turn my head and see Lucy helping Erza up, and look at everyone and say, "Hey come on guys congratulate Lu-chan." This breaks them out of their trance as they begin a very weak applause, causing me to become infuriated with them. I grab Gajeel and say in a very annoyed tone, "Come on let's go congratulate her!" He nods dumbly still in shock as we both go to where Lucy is. I realize that Erza is gone now, walking off with Jellal. "Great job Lu-chan! That was amazing! Where did Erza go though? I thought she was still here…" I watch as she looks around and sees Erza with Jellal.

I see her face and mood darken and she says quietly, "Thanks Levy-chan, I'm a little tired right now, so I'm going home to take a nap ok?" She says as I grow worried for her, concern written on my face. Don't worry its just a stressful week and I wanna get some extra rest, Mira is due to be able to leave and resume the wedding planning schedule soon so I'm gonna rest up before that. Bye Levy-chan!" she says to reassure me.

I don't believe her for a minute but say with a concerned tone, "Ok Lu-chan, take care of yourself." I watch as she leaves and goes off to be alone again, my level of concern as a friend reaching a new high.

I watch as she eventually disappears from sight and sigh deeply, wondering to myself, 'When did it get this bad? Since when has she been unable to confide in me and not trust me with the truth and what's bothering her? When did I lose that trust, that camaraderie with her, that understanding of we feel, that closeness that made us best friends? When did I lose my best friend, the girl who was the one I told everything to, the one I cried long nights with, the one I had be my maid of honor? When did I lose Lu-chan?' at the last mental question I begin to feel tears welling in my eyes and escaping down my face.

I feel the strong hand of my husband grasp my shoulder, trying to comfort me. He says, "Come on Levy, we'll get the money from Max and go home for the day. Let's go." I nod and turn to look for Max and find him trying to fend off the angry losers.

I lose my composure and run over to them and yell, "IF YOU'RE STILL UPSET THAT ERZA LOST AND COST YOU MONEY INSTEAD OF BEING HAPPY FOR LU-CHAN THEN YOU IDIOTS CAN HAVE THE MONEY! I DON'T CARE! TAKE IT!" and begin to run home tears freely flowing from my face as I lose any shred of resistance to my emotions that I had left, and as I reach the house I Quickly open the door and slam it shut. I slump down to the floor and begin to sob uncontrollably into my knees as I curl up into a small ball. I keep crying even as Gajeel arrives and opens the door to see me crying.

He quickly closes the door and scoops me up into his arms and says, "Shhhh. Levy it's gonna be ok. The guys are just being idiots and being oblivious like usual. Shhh, shhh I'm here for you." He says and strokes my head with his rough calloused hands, doing so uncharacteristically gentle, showing me his love and understanding, "Don't worry Bunny-Girl will come around, you didn't lose your best friend yet, shhh I'm here shhh." He attempts to soothe me but fails as I continue to sob until eventually I fall unconscious from the stress. Sleep being no better than awake, as nightmares of losing Lucy haunt me there as well.

Several Hours Later

I awake to find myself on the bed, being held in Gajeel's strong, muscular arms, I try and sit up but am held in place by his steel vice grip. I sigh and say, "Gajeel wake up I'm hungry." I say as he opens his eyes and looks at my pouting face and chuckles, releasing me only to plant a kiss on my forehead. I smile at him and we both sit up, stomachs rumbling in protest of the lack of food. "Come on I'll make us something. Where's Joi?"

As if waiting to hear her name Joi walks in looks at me with a face of concern, she asks, "Is momma ok? I heard her crying earlier, and I was worried." Wow so aware and yet so young, she definitely my kid, "Who made you cry momma? I'll beat 'em up!" And she was Gajeel's daughter as well.

I sigh and say, "Don't worry Joi, I'm ok now. Hey why don't you go the kitchen with Lily and get out the stuff for Iron-Beef Stew?" I ask of her as she nods happily and runs off with Lily behind her. I look at Gajeel and hug him saying, "Thank you for what you did earlier, it meant a lot to me, so thank you. I hope I didn't cry too much again." I say chuckling lightly at the last part.

He smiles at me and pulls me into a hug saying, "Yeah, yeah. I know. I love you a lot you know that?" He asks and, to show him how much I understand, I pull his head down and kiss him passionately as he melts into the kiss, pulling me up onto his lap as he slips his tongue past my lips and our tongues begin their usual dance, battling for dominance. We pull away to catch our breath as he says, "So I guess you know." I giggle at his statement and smile up at him and jump off his lap and land on the floor.

I walk to the kitchen and see Lily and Joi hard at work, Lily grabbing the ingredients while avoiding Joi's attacks as she practices her dragon slaying magic. 'How is she even able to use magic, she's only three years old…' I wonder as Gajeel walks up behind and pulls me into a hug and I look up at him and say, "She's definitely your daughter."

"Gihee, yeah she is! Oi shrimp, turn your hips more, that's where the sword get its power from. And don't be afraid to finish the punch or else your punches won't connect." He advises her, Joi eating up every word he says as he is her idol. She looks up to him and basically worships him.

She does what he says and connects with Lily's head sending him flying into the wall, knocking him out cold and creating a giant mess. "JOI! GAJEEL! LOOK WHAT YOU TWO DID!" I yell angrily as the two run to each other and cower in fear, the sight causing me to remember the day and remember just how lucky I was. "You missed a spot!" I say as I throw some flower on Gajeel's face starting a massive food fight. These were the moments I live for and am glad that I get to live through. I hope these days never end and the next one like them are just around the corner.

**XXXXX**

**A/N: Man I am in a sappy mood, back-to-back sad and depressing chapters. Well as I finish writing this, the story is at 1,170 views worldwide! Crazy! KEEP THE LOVE COMING! READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Concerns of the Unconcerned

**A/N: Today's third and final chapter, at least for today. Damn this is fun. Enjoy Chapter 12 and thanks to Wacko12 for the favorite. ENJOY!**

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Same Day Even Earlier that Morning (The Boss's POV)

We sit in the camp eating breakfast as number two walks in and sits down next to me. I ask**, **"So what news you got for us?" I pass her a plate with blueberry pancakes on it and ask sarcastically, "Or did you just want some free food? Too lazy to cook this morning were we?"

My only answer is a fist to my face as I'm sent flying across the room and land in the storage closet. I stand up and walk back to my seat to see all my food gone, now on her plate. Not wanting to get another punch to the face, I walk over to the stove and make myself some food. "Teach ya to be a sarcastic bastard this early in the morning. And yes I have news." She says before taking a bite of her pancakes. Swallowing she says, "There is a spar today between Lucy Heartifilia and Erza Scarlet. It should be interesting."

I smirk and nod and ask the group, "So who would you guys pick, Heartifilia or Scarlet?"

"Heartifilia." They all say in unison before number 3 adds, "I've seen her work in person, she almost caught me using three spirits, all of which aren't her fighter types, which are even stronger than before, I felt their presence and almost froze from the pressure. It was unreal." He shivered at the memory and quickly asked, "what about you Boss?"

"Heartifilia by a mile, it's like you said earlier, way too strong." I state quickly as I'm trying to eat before we have to leave. "When's the spar?"

" 9:00 AM, sharp." Number two says.

"OOOOHHH! We have time to watch before doing our job for the day." I say woofing the last of breakfast, "Time for a fieldtrip guys." I say a I grab my cloak and put it on, the other following suit and we make our way down to the sewers. We go into the sewer and begin our walk to the sparring field.

The walk is quiet until number 5 asks, "Hey Two how long is that blue haired chick gonna be out for? I feel like I might have gone a little overboard…"

"She wont be allowed to leave the infirmary until a week before the wedding, man just how badly did you want to fuck her up?" Two asks and I listen closely wanting to know Five's answer, as he went much farther than what I had asked him to do. We may be assaulting them and doing this on purpose but he went way too far this time. We're professionals, not barbarians.

He sighs and says, "Sorry didn't mean to go that far, I was frustrated by the lack of things to do and was tired from the long walk from camp to the tree, but its no excuse. Boss I apologize for my incompetence."

I smile and nod my head in understanding, "It's ok, I can understand how the solitary life and being forced to do nothing can be mind numbing, just don't let it happen again. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" He responds and I nod my head and continue leading the group towards the sparring field.

'Who would have thought that when we met a year ago that we would already have the chance to finish my plans AND the side project in one fell swoop. I thought for sure it would take a few years at least and numerous failures, but yet here I am, inching closer and closer to success, and yet I wonder, what will happen to us when we succeed? Will we be killed by him? Or will we kill him? Will I feel accomplished or just empty, alone on the top of the mountain that is my goal?'

I am broken out of my reverie by Two saying, "Boss we're coming up on the exit, are you alright? You looked like you were deep in thought, and that in of itself is a scary thought. You thinking. Ugh." Two says as she laughs at me. I pout and she responds, "Oh come on now, don't be mad I was just teasing. So Boss, what's the plan?"

I sigh and say, "We're gonna watch the fight in its entirety it should be pretty short, given my measurement of their powers. Then depending on if they bet on the fight, we watch their reactions and gauge them to see if our plan is working. If it is then when Heartifilia wins, and if everyone bet on Scarlet, then they should be in chock and 'forget' to cheer for Heartifilia. Meanwhile, Two you will go and get the plans to the church and the underground of the church. Everyone good? Good now let's get to it!" I watch as Two nods and heads off, while everyone else joins me in climbing up the ladder to the exit. We exit and immediately find some trees close to the action and where Fairy Tail will sit. We get situated and wait for the carnage to begin.

Later at 9:00 AM

I watch as Levy takes her seat, smirking as she just put some good money down on Heartifilia, and the fight soon begins. Heartifilia quickly calls out three of her spirits and charges, whip in hand. She quickly lands a good combination on Scarlet, as Scarlet requips into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Wow she was getting serious, Heartifilia… looked like she was still half-asleep and completely disinterested, just like I she would be like. I watch as Heartifilia taunts her, then backs up her talk as she uses her whip to cause Scarlet to fly up, right to where Kurogane, er Gemini actually is as he can transform into whoever he wants, and he smashes her into the ground. Everyone from the guild gasps in shock, jaws hitting the floor and mugs dropping, us however merely groan and Five says, "Well this fight sucks, it's all Heartifilia!" They had never seen Scarlet going so hard, yet be overmatched, it was simply astonishing to them, I laughed at their reaction and knew it wasn't over just yet. True to form, Scarlet had requipped into her Adamantine armor and lessened the blow, she then requipped back into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and attacked Heartifilia directly, going at her at full power. I watch as she begins to attacked, and am not even surprised by Scarlet going at full power against a guild member, yes she truly knows no mercy and her pride is on the line here, losing to the girl known as the damsel in distress? Pitiful. I grow bored as Heartifilia simply dodges all the attacks like they were moving in slow-motion, dodging the last one by lunging out of the way. Mid-lunge she puts out her hand and yells, "Celestial Beam!" as a beam of light pours out from her hand, drawing an 'ooh' from me and an 'ah' from the rest of the group, as her attack pushes Scarlet back to where Capricorn had snuck up to behind her and I sigh as he sends Scarlet flying in the air to where Pantherlily, er Gemini, is now waiting for her, Gemini really does have a knack for impersonating people. I see Taurus moving into position and I know what's about to happen. I look in excitement as I watch as Taurus does a backbreaker and then throws Scarlet harshly to the ground Everyone inhales sharply and I hear a loud cry of shock from someone. I look back and see everyone grumbling and complaining about how bad the fight was, it didn't even last ten minutes and was totally one-sided. My mouth is kept in a seriously painful, big smirk as the master rushes out and ends the fight, saying Heartifilia is the winner. I sigh as I knew this was inevitable, Heartifilia was simply too strong.

I watch as Levy Redfox says "Hey come on guys congratulate Lu-chan." This breaks them out of their trance as they begin a very weak applause, causing her and me to become infuriated with them. I watch her grab Gajeel and say in a very annoyed tone, "Come on let's go congratulate her!" He nods dumbly, still in shock as they both go to where Heartifilia is. She realizes that Scarlet is gone now, walking off with Fernandes. "Great job Lu-chan! That was amazing! Where did Erza go though? I thought she was still here…" Redfox watches as she looks around and sees Scarlet with Fernandes.

Redfox and I both see her face and mood darken and she says quietly, "Thanks Levy-chan, I'm a little tired right now, so I'm going home to take a nap ok?" She says as I realize she's lying through her teeth. "Don't worry its just a stressful week and I wanna get some extra rest, Mira is due to be able to leave and resume the wedding planning schedule soon so I'm gonna rest up before that. Bye Levy-chan!" she says to reassure Redfox but even I can tell she's lying.

Redfox can too and doesn't believe her for a minute but says with a concerned tone, "Ok Lu-chan, take care of yourself." I watch as she leaves and goes off to be alone, and as she leaves I can't help but feel for her. I know what being an outcast is like and wish that fate on no one, it's tough and leads to depression and if not stopped and rectified… let's just say suicide seems like a great plan. I know I was close a couple of times. But what happens next surprises me as Kurogane goes up to his wife and says, "Come on Levy, we'll get the money from Max and go home for the day. Let's go." She nods and turns to look for Max and finds him trying to fend off the angry losers all the while protecting a broom... then she loses her composure and runs over to the losers and yells, "IF YOU'RE STILL UPSET THAT ERZA LOST AND COST YOU MONEY INSTEAD OF BEING HAPPY FOR LU-CHAN THEN YOU IDIOTS CAN HAVE THE MONEY! I DON'T CARE! TAKE IT!" and begin to run home tears freely flowing from her face.

"Well Boss you were right, these guys are complete dicks. They should be congratulating Heartifilia, not complaining about stupid bets. But hey you called it Boss." Number four says.

"Yeah…unfortunately I was. Let's go this is depressing me. Back to camp as soon as they clear out." I say and they all quietly nod and watch the guild members stand there, realizing what they had just done. They all looked at one another and quietly began to leave the field. As soon as they all are gone we jump down from our spot and walk to the sewer. 

After we are inside and we had been walking for a while, number 3 broke the silence and asked, "Hey Boss I know this is gonna sound stupid but… are we doing the right thing here? Are we really the good guys or are we doing more harm than good."

"… I don't know to be honest. I think we are doing our best to do the right thing, but does that make us good guys? Sometimes the lines between good and bad blur as the right thing is not always the easy thing. Sometimes one must one walk in darkness to find the light, and that's where I think we are. We are the anti-hero, and we will not fail in our mission. We will do what we came here to do." I say as they all stop when I stop and wait for me to finish my inspirational bull shit. "We will stop the end of the world and we will kill the person we came to kill, then we will chase after him, and when we find him we will kill him. We will kill Zeref."

**XXXXX  
>AN: Dun-dun-dun. So there true goal is now clear, but who did they come to kill in Magnolia? You are gonna have to wait to find that out. KEEP SENDING THE LOVE! READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Dashed Hopes

**A/N: Hello again! This will be chapter one of two today so enjoy! WARNING the first part of this chapter is full on citrus! Break out the lube and the tissues and here we go! If you don't wanna read the lemon, then skip to where you see this ********.**

**XXXXXX**

Same day, at night now (Erza POV)

I walk into my apartment and shut the door behind me as Jellal pushes me up against the wall and crashes his lips onto mine. Gods how much I needed this, today was not my day and I really need the release, he puts on of his hands on my lower back and presses me up against even more and his other hand goes into my hair tilting my head back so he can deepen the kiss. We break apart for air and he rips his shirt off, revealing his chiseled body, it's like a god's and I run my hands over the muscles that are as hard as rock. He reconnects our lips and I hook my legs onto his legs and he carries me into the bedroom.

He lays me down on the bed and begins to work on removing my shirt, but I stop him and say, "Let me get that," I requip into my seduction armor and I see Jellal get excited, his pants beginning to tent and my panties begin to drip even more at the sight. I reach for his pants and begin to pull them down, ripping the button clean off in my desire to see and feel his cock. I make quick work of his pants and turn and gently put them down, bending over in the process and giving Jellal a great view of my butt. I hear him purr and whimper at being teased as I turn around and crawl on top of him and crash my mouth onto his, causing him to moan. I use his moan to slip my tongue into his mouth and our tongues battle for control, mine winning as always. You could say that I'm a dominatrix in that I like being on top and in control most of the time. MOST OF THE TIME. I don't mind being on bottom once in a while, but not tonight, tonight I NEED to be on top, in control, in command. I pull away and begin kissing his neck, leaving marks here and there and leave a rather large one at the junction of his neck and shoulder. He moans wantonly at the marks and begins kneading my butt cheeks with his big calloused hands, making me moan at his roughness. I begin to trail kisses down his torso until he sits up suddenly and takes off the cloth covering my breasts and latches his mouth onto my left nipple and gives it sloppy wet kisses. I moan loudly at the sudden change and moan even louder when his hands begin working on the neglected twin of a right nipple. His rough hand begin to knead my breast roughly and I begin to moan and pant even louder than before and I grind against his hips roughly, grinding our sexes together and we both gasp at the friction, we wanted it so badly. Especially since it had been a two weeks since the last time, so when he begins to take my last piece of clothing off I help him rip it off and climb off so he can get his boxers off.

When his boxers are off I crawl back on top, but he pulls me to his face and positions my sex over his mouth and begins to finger the bundle of nerves that are there, rubbing them and pinching them for a moment before pulling me down on his as he begins to lap at my sensitive folds. I moan from the sensation and begin to feel the coiling in my stomach that I know oh so well now. I'm close. Very close now. I begin to grind my sex into his face, desiring a release that I have longed for the past two weeks. He adds a finger, how I'm not sure but the sensation is enough to send me over the as I cum screaming out his name, pushing my sex onto his roughly as I ride out the orgasm, the volume of my scream dies down and I feel him lapping up the juices from my sex.

I put my hand behind me and feel his cock throbbing, desiring for a release, I look at him and see the lust in his eyes matching min as I say, "Here let me get that for you babe." I crawl off of him and pull him up off the bed as I kneel in front of him. His cock is fully erect and standing proud, which it should due its big size and wide girth. I begin to drool at the site mentally and take it into my hands, using the natural lube of life to moisten it: spit. Making sure I get it wet enough I stroke every inch of his cock and use both hands so I can get to the good part soon. Feeling that he is prepared enough I put my lips to the tip and place small kisses all over the tip. He moans/groans at the feeling, wanting the teasing to stop and for the pleasure to begin. I then slowly take him into my mouth, my tongue lapping over the parts I had not reached yet. I slowly take a good seven inches in before I pull back only to bob back down and take even more, having to deep-throat him to get all nine inches of him into my mouth. I feel his cock slide down my throat and moan wantonly onto his cock causing to moan back. I get a steady rhythm going of me bobbing up and down on cock and taking him until his pubes were in my face, next to my nose. I bob down one last time as he comes, shooting his load into my mouth and holding my head in place so I swallow it all. Which I do, greedily so as I love the taste of his semen.

When he finally shoots his last load into me I notice he's still hard, thank gods no more foreplay, just more sex. I push him back down onto the bed and position myself above his cock, and without any forewarning I impale myself on his cock and I swear I see stars, I'm still tight and his cock always stretches my inner walls like it's my first time. I quickly adjust to his size and begin to move, going up until just his head is in and then impaling myself back down. He grabs my hips and helps me out, meeting my thrusts with his own and we begin to find a steady rhythm. I begin to feel the coiling in my stomach again and grind even harder on his cock and his pace quickly matches mine as we both are close to release. I come first, my inner walls clenching around him as I scream out his name even louder than before, sure that everyone in all of Fiore heard me. He thrusts a few more times before it's too much and he comes too yelling my name as he shoots his load straight into me, he wasn't wearing a condom but that doesn't matter since I use a potion that prevents me from having kids so I don't have to worry. He pulls out and looks at me as he pulls me into a hug saying, "That was amazing, but I'm tired now, let's go to sleep ok?" I nod my agreement and he turns me over so he can spoon me and we both drift off to sleep in each other's arms.

******** END OF LEMON.***********

The next morning

I woke up at my usual time of five fifty-five, beating the alarm clock. I got and got dressed for my morning run that usually lasted about ten miles, but today was different as I got up I couldn't shake the feeling of failure from my mind. 'How did Lucy get so strong? When did she surpass me? When had the gap become so big that I couldn't even touch her? When did I lose to her? Why can't I bring myself to be happy for her?' I ponder as I begin to run, still in my house but I didn't realize until I ran into the door, which I then opened and continued running. 'Why can't I focus anymore? Am I really that shaken by the fact that I lost to Lucy that I'm losing it? I mean I guess I am happy that she has really grown up and gotten very strong now, she probably could TAKE ON Natsu, not rely on him to save her as usual, if he were alive anymore. But then why do I feel like shit? Why do I feel like I'm different now? Why do I feel…' Then it hit me, I feel like this because of the loss. The only people in the guild who have beaten me are Gildarts and Laxus, master and I have never fought before, and I beat the shit out of everyone else except Mira but we just fought like kids do with their rivals, not seriously and in a spar setting. So this loss was very depressing. 'It's not just that I lost, it's how I lost. I got thrown around like a rag doll, giving it my all like always which is usually more than enough. But yesterday, it wasn't even close to enough, it was like she was sleeping still and she creamed me like I was some second rate mage. Someone that didn't even require her to go all that hard, she didn't even break a sweat, I looked like Jet or Droy fighting Laxus one on one. ME! I LOOKED LIKE A LOSER! I can't have this. I won't allow myself to fall behind anymore, I will train myself to all new heights and I will surpass HER!' I then pick up my pace and decide to triple the distance, 'I will be faster, I will find new armors that are even stronger, and I will bend the laws of the knight(her requip magic) and I will be able to call THAT armor forth again. And be able to do so repeatedly, like it was a normal suit of armor. I will be STRONGER!' As I reach the usual spot where I turn around, I decide to keep going, 'I'll run to the church, which is on the other side of town and then go back home, yeah that'll d…' I am unable to finish my thoughts as a fist flies out of nowhere and hits me in the face. I'm sent flying into a wall and begin to slip into unconsciousness.

I hear a voice say before I black out, "Teach ya to disrespect someone who beat you in battle." And I swear that I have heard this voice before.

(3rd Person POV)

Everyone runs to where the crowd is, obviously since they are all sheep and follow whatever the others do. But this case is special, they are running to see something, something shocking and absolutely terrifying. They are gathered in front of the cathedral and are all to lost in the sight before them to say a word or leave or even look away from the gruesome scene. Numbers 3,4, and 5 watch in anticipation as they wait for someone from the guild to come and assist the people. All three were smirking and knew that the members of the guild were gonna be in for a surprise, and they were giddy at the thought. They had been here for almost a month now and they had begun to get bored, especially of late as they had not done anything until yesterday when they went and saw the sparring match. Then their Boss told number 3 to go and teach Scarlet a lesson in humility to which he said, "Gladly.' Boss was none too happy with this bitch and really wanted to have her feel the humiliation of defeat. So when the Boss left number 3 asked, "Wanna help?" The other two immediately nodded and now they were here, and they all had to agree , they out did themselves.

Then they heard a townsperson yell, "Finally someone from the guild, you must see this!" He grabbed and dragged… The one person that we really wanted to see come first: Jellal Fernandes.

(POV Change to Jellal)

I was dragged to the front of the mob by the mayor and heard him mumbling repeatedly to himself, 'Sorry… I'm so sorry.' I began to grow worried, as I saw the look on the townspeople's faces, they were pale and horrified, as if they seen a ghost not named Mavis. We finally reached the front of the mob and as soon as we stopped and I looked up my face paled as well.

There on the doors of the cathedral was Erza, again stapled in to the wall, and she was completely naked. The marks from last night barely visible as her body was adorned with new marks, burns, bruises, and a specific mark that looked more like a drawing. I had seen the drawing before, it was a helmet, I think a samurai one, and it was cracked at the top. This was no simple drawing, it was the mark of a very specific group, a group that had beaten the shit out of me and my guild before: The mark of the Ronin. I shivered at the memory, hoping that it was some sick joke to make us think it was them, but then my hopes were dashed a I looked up and saw above the door and saw the mark again. I looked away not wanting to remember that day, but something else caught my eye well two things really. The first was a puddle of red beneath her, it was something that almost made me puke, it was blood, HER BLOOD. I began to break down, not at her blood creating a pool beneath her body, but at the sight of her head. Her hair more specifically, or rather the lack of it, as she is completely bald. The hair that I loved so deeply, the hair that originally caught my attention and brought me to her was gone and so was any way to tell who she except for knowing her face well. And even that was tough as her face was swollen and bruised, mangled to the point of almost not even being recognizable. I began to sob and cried out to the heavens, the source of my magic, but at that moment not even they could help me. I had never felt more hopeless in my life.

(POV Change to Number 3)

I watch as the scene before me unfolds and I pull out the lacrima and say into it, "The reign of The Knight is over."

**XXXXXX**

**A/N: Whew! What a scene! And that lemon… it was meh but hey it was my first one so give me a break. Poor Erza, she's really gonna feel that pain of being second best now. Well one more chapter today so get ready… (Sees Natsu walking over with an angry look in his eyes, which are red now.) Shit.**

**Natsu: YOU MADE LUCY CRY!**

**YOU JUST REALIZED THIS! THAT HAPPENED A WHOLE DAY AGO!**

**NATSU: NO ONE MAKES HER CRY, FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!**

**(Dodges as a brawl ensues) READ AND REVIEW, PLEASE REVIEW! ADIOS! (crashing noises can be heard in the background)**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Cat and Mouse

**A/N: El Derecho Fuerte! **

**Natsu: Iron Fist! (attacks collide and send both back and fight continues)**

**Lucy: Ummm seeing as they are still fighting I'll intro the new chapter. So yeah welcome to chapter 14! Shout-out to GrayBluedEyedBelle for the follow and review and to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER and brucie86 for their reviews! Thanks so much guys! Now…**

**Natsu: (Natsu comes flying and lands near Lucy) …**

**Lucy:… Hi…**

**Uh-oh Um enjoy the chapter!**

**XXXXXX**

A week later (Master POV, Three weeks to the wedding)

Juvia is as stubborn as a mule mixed with a bull. My brat refuses to move her wedding date even though most of the women who will be in the ceremony are down and out right now. She keeps saying, 'Juvia will not anything come in between her and her Gray-sama's wedding! Not even death! So let them come, Juvia will have her wedding on time! Or else!' While it is admirable it is also foolish, the people attacking us are crazy good at hiding and we've been looking for a month already. Yet they keep disappearing and attacking guild members. They have attacked Elfman, Mira, Wendy, and now Erza. Oh poor Erza, first she was humiliated by Lucy in their spar and then she was attacked and her hair shaven off, it used, as we later found out, to knit tighter a faux armor that was actually life size. That poor child, her identity was partially, if not fully tied to that hair of hers, I mean her name is Erza SCARLET, her name matching her hair color. She was thoroughly broken emotionally when she woke up that she did not say a word for five whole days, she just sat and stared at the wall, petting her now thinly hair covered head. She also cried so much that her tear ducts dried up. THEY DRIED UP! She will be allowed to leave when Wendy does so she can participate in the wedding, but even though her body will heal, I don't know about her mind. She was already in a bad place mentally after her defeat, which was completely one-sided and shocking, and now this… she might lose all the confidence in herself that she once had. She might never be the same mage she was ever again and that would be a sad day for the world, as one of it's brightest lights and weapons against the darkness would be extinguished, for good.

There was a positive to this whole fiasco, however, and that was the knowledge of Lucy's progress, which was beyond anyone's wildest dreams. To think that in the five years since the exiling of Natsu, that Lucy would become the most likely to reach S-class and to be immediately in the running for guild Ace? Not me that much is for sure. I was against the whole spar from the beginning, I thought this was too much too soon, I suggested she fight Juvia but she was adamant saying, 'Trust me master, I'm ready for Erza.' And boy was she right, she not only beat Erza, but crushed and embarrassed her. The whole thing had me shocked and forced me to call the fight in fear of Erza getting seriously hurt. But what made me even more shocked was what happened next and hurt my heart. I watched as Erza was helped up and blatantly lied to Lucy's face, saying ""I'll be ok. But wow Lucy I was taking you at about half strength and you were going at even less and still crushed me. I'm impressed!" It was obvious to anyone who saw the fight that she was going way harder that 50%, I'd say at least 90%. AT LEAST. I think she may have gone all out and still lost. Poor Lucy, first Natsu assaulted her, then people began to treat her poorly , they coddled her and treated her like she was a damsel in distress. Erza and Gray and Lucy have not gone on a mission together since then, and they acted as if Lucy was no longer a strong or worthy member of any team they were on. I know they didn't think that way, but they seemed to forget that actions speak louder than words.

'When had the guild become like this? When did I lose the ability to have the brats understand the meaning of nakama? When did I lose my strength that once was revered throughout Fiore? When did the people of the guild lose the respect for me that they once had? Have I really grown that old that people no longer see me the way they once did, and can I still function properly as Master?' I wonder and realize the truth and grow even more depressed than I already was. I decide the best course of action, and call for Laxus to come upstairs.

"Hey Jiji what's up? You need help opening your arthritis again? I'm telling you just enlarge your hands and do it." He said as I sigh deeply and notices my mood and immediately sits down next to me and asks, "Oi Jiji what's wrong?"

I look up at him and say, "I have decided something very important. Please go and fetch Warrod and Gildarts." He looks at me and nods seeing my seriousness and runs downstairs, returning a few moments later, Warrod and Gildarts in tow. I look at the three and sigh deeply again, and tell them, "I have decided to retire. My last day will be the wedding day. I have grown too old to effectively run the guild and too old to reach the ears of the brats. I asked you come here so I may ask your opinion on something," They all look at me solemnly and I finish my question, "Who should I appoint as the next master?"

They look at me for a moment before Gildarts and Warrod both say in unison, "Laxus," and Gildarts finishes, "He is strong enough, understands enough about nakama now, and will have the respect of the guild."

I smile and nod my head saying, "Well Laxus, are you ready to be the seventh master of Fairy Tail? Come we have much to discuss. And I have something to show you."

(POV Change to Max)

I hold in my gasp of surprise, and clutch my beloved broom tightly. I sneak away quietly and reached the stairs, reaching them I sprint down to where Warren is and tell him, "I need you to set up a secure channel so we can talk, the usual guys." He nods as he saw me come down as he was acting as my watch dog so no one would disturb me. I had decided to sneak upstairs and see what was going on when Laxus, Warrod, and Gildarts were called upstairs, and boy did I hear a lot. Then I feel Warren enter my mind as do the others, Nab, Jet, Droy, Macao, and Wakaba. While others might believe this to be strange, but it's not seeing as we share something in common. We are all overlooked as guild members and kind of looked down at us, yes we may not be as strong but we have feelings too, you know. I hold my broom closely and ask, "You guys wanna know a secret?" I ask mentally.

"Yes!" They all say in unison and I can feel the anticipation of wanting to know what I knew and I smirk outwardly.

"Master is retiring finally, his last day is gonna be the day of the wedding." I say quickly.

"Wow, so it's finally happening huh?" asks Droy.

"Its been a long time coming, he can hardly open his arthritis medication nowadays, let alone run a guild like he used to." Says Wakaba.

"Yeah but it still is kinda sad, I mean he did help raise most of us here in the guild." Jet adds.

"Yeah and he really is like a second father to almost all of us, it truly will be a sad day when he finally does it for real." Nab chips in.

"Yeah, but it really is necessary, the guild is going to shit, people can't even go home safely anymore and people like Lucy feel like they no longer belong. This place used to be a home for anyone but ever since Natsu went off the edge, people in here have lost that sincerity they once had." Warrens says sadly as we all mentally murmur our approval."

"Well since he's retiring I should probably tell him that I'm ok with running the guild again, seeing as I was the fourth master." Macao says and we all groan at him.

"Please not again, you were awful as master and let us go to absolute shit. No offense, but no one would want you as guild master again, no one." I say and I hear the murmurs of agreement from everyone, as I say, "Anyways they already decided, Laxus is gonna be the next master."

At this everyone groans and Jet says, "Aw man, not him, he's way too obsessed with power and hasn't shown me anything that he has changed. He attacked Levy all those years ago when he started his little revolution and I still haven't forgiven him. No way I'll vote for him."

"Vote? HA! There's no voting, only the master gets to pick the next one. Gives everyone a real fair chance to put their voice in for the decision." Macao says.

Jet and Droy protest mentally, and I have to agree with them. Its not really fair that us as full guild members don't get a say in this yet we must listen to him with no questions asked and trust him wholeheartedly. It's not really fair and the people like us, who may not be as strong are left to just sit there and become cannon fodder whenever there is a big fight. I sigh at the thought and begin to wonder if the life of a mage is really what I want anymore.

As if hearing my thoughts Nab says, "Guys, Droy and I have been thinking, and we have decided to retire from being mages, we'll still be around and all but we are getting too old and our magic is not what was five years ago."

Everyone except those two are completely floored, until Wakaba says, "I'm with them, I'm way too old to make a living like this anymore. I think I would do better now as a magic teacher."

"Same here, I've been discussing it with my wife and we both think it's for the best. I'll probably do the same as Wakaba. Jet, Max, Warren, what about you guys?" Macao adds as the three of us are left speechless. Just up and quitting? Can it really be that easy? I clutch my beloved broom even tighter waiting for one of the other two to respond first.

Jet as always wins the race and says, "I-I-I… count me in. I can't do this without ya Droy and while Levy may be sad, it's the best thing for us to do. Warren, Max?"

"I'm in about retiring from fighting, but I'll stay on as guild communicator and battle information relay. Who knows, maybe I'll get payed for it." Warren ask as I feel the pressure building up inside of me and around me as they all look at me expectantly.

What should I do? Should I quit being a mage? It's all I've done in terms of work, but I no longer feel like the life is for me. I could always become a travelling merchant. Yeah, me and my broom, travelling around or even staying here, but me as a merchant will be and is the best thing I can do right now. I look at them and sigh deeply and say, "Count me in too, this life is no longer what I want. So when should we go and tell master?"

"I'd say as soon as possible, but not today, today he's gonna be busy. Not we should definitely not wait too long, don't want one of us being attacked." Wakaba says and we all agree.

I look around the guild the sadness of my decision hitting me and I think to myself, 'Today is my last day as a mage. And my last as a Fairy Tail Mage.' With that I get up and leave, not wanting the sad reminder of how this place used to make me happy and proud to last as I feel no remorse for the decision, in fact I feel happy as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I walk out and say mentally 'Good-bye Fairy Tail. And good riddance.'

(POV Change to Laxus)

The four of us walk out of the basement, the other three calm and collected, while I'm in a bit awe and shock. We had that in the basement the whole time? No wonder masters can only see that, it was freaky as shit. I'm still not sure what that even was.

I break out of my reverie as I see a woman dressed in a blue full-body cloak standing in the room taking photos of papers with a lacrima. She sees us and curses before putting her hands to her mouth and yells, "Pistola de Aceite!" Oil shoots at us as I quickly realize it's the woman Gajeel fought with before. She bursts through the window as the oil nearly hits me but I dodge and turn into lightening and follow after her. Damn was she quick and sneaky, she had already put down traps all round and I almost fall into one. I barely avoid falling and quickly regain my balance and chase after her. I see her heading to the west and chase after her. I begin to gain ground only for her to turn around when I was close enough and yell, "Casa de Tierra!" Suddenly walls of dirt appear and surround me, but aren't enough as I break through and continue chasing after her. However she had already gained a lot of ground and was way ahead of me, so to close the gap I turned into a lightening bolt and shot after her. I get close and reach out to grab her, but as I do another person comes flying down and land on top of me while yelling "No la toques! Entierro de la Tierra!"

Suddenly it feels as if the earth begins to swallow me whole and I look up and see them arguing, the woman yelling, "Cabron! I had him!" as they begin to argue even more, I once again turn into lightening and escape somehow. They see me but realize I'm tired as turning into my element is tiresome and I now that I have to finish it quick.

I gather the last of my energy but am stopped as the woman yells with her hands out in front of her, "Tierra!" Earth shoots out at me and the male yells, "Jaula!" and the earth takes shape around me, creating a cage that negates my magic.

"DAMMNIT!" I yell as the two know I can't move anymore nor fight back and continue fighting, but turn away and leave me thoroughly embarrassed and stuck in the cage like a zoo animal. I groan and wait for some one to catch up to me and free me. Sitting down and waiting, I immediately get back up and try to pry the bars open so I can leave the cage but am unable to. 'Damn, and that guy must have been the guy Lucy chased after. Damn I was so close too.' As I move away from the bars the others arrive and break out laughing at my predicament. "SHADDUP! Get me out of here!" I yell indignantly and wait for someone to get me out. Warrod steps forward and causes the soil in the earth to come to him leaving the rock there. Then Gildarts uses his magic to break the rocks and I am finally free.

"It was the guys who have been attacking the guild. The woman and the man met up and stopped me in my tracks as you saw." I said as I turned towards the guild and say, "We need to get back and tell everyone what I found out, their magic is elemental magic."

The Next Day (Max POV)

Our group strides into the guild and walk over to the stairs. I walk over to Mira and ask, "Is master in his office?" She nods and looks at me concerned, I smile and say, "Don't worry about it, just need to tell him something." With that I back to the group and nod. We walk upstairs and I begin to feel the eyes of the guild on us. The attention is noted but does not deter us as we make our way to the office. We arrive and I knock and ask, "Master may we come in?"

"Yes my brats, come in, come in." We walk in and stand side by side as best we can, luckily the office that was built after Elfman blew up the guild seven years ago was bigger than before. He looks at us and asks, "What can I do for you, my brats?"

I take a deep breath and tell him, "Master we as a group have come to a decision. Now we each came to this decision on our own and do not make it lightly," I pause and grip my broom tighter as I see his brow furrow in concern, I take a calming breath and say, "we have decided to retire from being mages. We will not all leave working here as Warren has decided to stay and has to discuss his request with you. We wish to thank you for helping raise us and helping us during our dark times. We will never forget what you have done for us and will be eternally grateful." I say and relax my grip on my beloved broom.

"Are you sure this is want you really want?" He asks us.

"Yes." We all say in unison, and the master nods sadly at us. "Then come forward and allow me to recite the rules all those who leave Fairy Tail must follow: One, you must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others for as long as you live. Two, you must never use former contacts met through your being in the guild for personal gain. Three, though our paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might, you must never consider your own life to be something insignificant, and you must never forget about your friends for as long as you live." He looks at us and we nod our thanks at him as everyone but Warren leaves and make our way to the door.

I look to my guild mark's spot and see a light coming from there as the mark fades away, and everyone in the guild understands what just happened. They look on in shock as we leave, Romeo running up to his dad and asking him why. I walk out holding my head high, my beloved broom in hand. I look back and make the sign of Fairy Tail that everyone makes when one leaves. I turn back and continue down the new path of my life, my shoulders feeling lighter than they ever have before.

**XXXXXXX**

**A/N: (I watch in shock as Natsu and Lucy threaten to start having sex right in front of me) Oi! Get a room or you know get back in my brain dumbasses!**

**(They pull away from each other and look at each other before nodding and disappearing) Finally! They were making out since Makarov started talking about Erza. Geez they moan loudly! Well That's it for today, hope you enjoyed it and liked the chase scene. And that might be the last time we see that group in this story so yeah… READ AND REVIEW! PLEASE REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Inner demons

**A/N: Well hello there! I wanna send out a mega thanks to FT Water-Dragon-Slayer for not just favoriting and following, but adding me to there Author alert list! Wow that was new! And I have a new question to pose to you guys, who is your favorite character so far? And if you can tell me why that would be amazing, I already have a feeling who most people will say but I wanna hear from you guys! Enjoy chapter 15 first though. Enjoy!**

**XXXXXXXXX**

Same day (The Boss's POV)

I sit in my hotel room and wonder to myself, 'Do Fairies have Tails? Wait, why the fuck do I care? They could have udders for all I care, it won't make a difference, I'm still gonna clip their wings and laugh about it later… You know maybe this why I only have friends who beat people up for a living. I truly am a sadist nowadays. Oh well I'm ok with it. Hahaha!... Ok I really am dark.'

I'm broken out of my reverie as number Three and Four walk in, bickering as usual. "I told you, I HAD HIM CABRON! Honestly you are so stupidly overprotective sometimes. UGH! YOU INFURIATE ME!" She yells stomping on his foot.

He yelps and grabs his foot and starts hopping around, making hissing sounds causing me to start laughing at him, holding my sides because honestly this is too cute. She is in charge and he knows it, he is so whipped. He looks at me and pouts before turning to her and pulling her into a hug. He kisses her forehead lightly and says, "I'm sorry babe, I just really hate seeing you in danger and don't want any man to touch you, especially any man who wants to hurt you. I couldn't bear to see you hurt, sorry for making you feel like you can't protect yourself. I know you can I just love you so much I wanna be your knight in shining armor…"

"GET OUT NOW!" I yell my mood souring at the sight before me. They turn and break apart and apologize and quickly leave, out the door before I could even look up from my shaking palms. I stand up and grab the lamp and throw it against the wall, creating a massive hole as the lamp broke the wall cleanly, break the laws of physics probably by leaving the gaping hole in the wall. I then turn to the bed and flip it in anger and then rip the mattress in half, all the while creating a cracks on the floor where I am standing from the sheer pressure I'm generating from my anger. I then begin to punch the wall repeatedly until the wall falls apart and I am left looking at the bathroom. I walk in grab the toilet and throw it out the window, it hitting a fountain that was outside and creating a massive crater somehow. I then begin to destroy the shower curtains while destroying the rest of the shower with my magic. Finally I turn and punch the mirror, the glass from it lodging into my fist, causing blood to pour out from it, and I pause to look at myself in the mirror. What I see doesn't surprise me, I see myself crying and the look in my eyes are murderous, a look that usually means that anyone who comes near me is most likely gonna die a very painful and long death. I stop and stare at myself for at least five minutes wondering who I was looking at, was this the real me or is this the fucked up me life has force me to partially become?

I then hear footsteps and voices as I hear Fairy Tail Mages entering the hotel, 'Shit! Gottta move it!' I quickly grab a few matches and set the room on fire so they can't use my blood that I realized was everywhere in the room now and jump out the window, following the toilet, and land in the crater that was once a fountain. 'Ok seriously how hard did I throw that toilet?' I ponder as I climb out and begin to run to the sewers, as soon as I find the entrance and look around don't see anyone. I jump in and begin to walk until I stop and think, 'Where should I go? I need a quiet place, somewhere where I can be in peace and not be bothered by anything or anyone… Wait, I got it I'll go there.' I begin to walk to my destination and as I am walking I ponder to myself, 'Damn that was close, I need to be more careful. But how did it get that bad, I mean it happens sometimes, but never that badly. Am I finally losing control?' I stop thinking to myself as I arrive at the exit to my destination, I climb out and see the place I know is deserted and walk over to a place overlooking Magnolia, sitting down so I can meditate on what just happened.

'I know what caused that outburst, but I can't dwell on it, on her…' I fail miserably as all my thoughts turn to her, 'I miss her so much nowadays. I wonder if she is ok, I wonder if she will ever forgive me. I know she's strong, and she can handle and take care of herself, but still its like what Three said, I love her so much and I want to be able to hold her in my arms every day, be able to touch her, feel her hands run through my hair, feel her hair that I would run my hands through, I wanna smell her shampoo, I wanna be with her.' I begin to feel the tears that I had suppressed for so long escape my eyes and run down my face. And these tears were of conscious thought instead of being unaware like they usually are so I feel the weight of them even more. 'No I must stop this, I will be with her soon and when I am I will make up for my mistakes, I will never let her go again, I will protect her with all my strength so that I can always be with her. Be with her on a daily basis instead of a just every once in a while. Yes, I will be hers and she will be hers for the rest of my days.'

I am broken out of my reverie by small footsteps approaching me, the owner of them asking, "Are you ok, Boss? I heard what happened." Two said as she came and sat down next to me, I was still crying and she quickly pulled me into a hug, saying soothingly, "Shhh it's ok, you will be with her soon, I promise you that. I will do everything in my power to assure it."

I pull away and look at her, my tears finally stopping their escape as I sigh deeply, before saying, "Thanks Two. I'm alright but I am going to have find a new hotel to stay at with a new name of course and a new look, they'll be looking for me now." I say as she laughs lightly while rolling her eyes at me.

"Like they weren't before? Hahaha! You really are a simpleton you know that?" She says as I scoff at that statement.

"What? Can't a man think sensibly? The guild members will be looking for as will the police. And the beds were amazing, second softest I ever slept on…" I say, the last part almost a whisper as thoughts enter my mind again that I wish to repress.

Two notices and changes the subject, "We should probably get back, Three and Four were pretty shaken up by the look you gave them. They were pretty sorry about what they did." I nod and we both stand up and walk over to the sewer and enter. Luckily I chose a spot that was close to camp and we reach it in five minutes.

I walk to the camouflaged entrance and enter, my entrance causing the three team members gathered there to look up at me and stand up at attention. "Calm down this ain't the military dumbasses, sit down and relax alright?" They sit down and look at me. "Listen, I'm sorry about that outburst, I'm pretty messed up on the inside and the mushy talk triggered some bad memories. Sorry you had to see crazy me again."

"No boss it's our faults here, we know about you're past and yet completely ignore the facts and did that in front of ya. For this we truly our fault" Three says as Four nods in agreement. "I hope you can forgive us."

"Of course I can, this isn't the first time it's happened and it probably won't be the last. I forgive you, there does that help? Now Three go cook something you're the only one here that can and I rather not try your wife's cooking, it's awful." I begin to laugh and everyone's mood lightens.

"Yeah last time we let her cook I had the runs for three weeks… ugh, don't wanna go through that again." Five says earning a smack from Four and laughter from Three and I. Man I miss this, the laughter and the camaraderie, the fun we had when we first met, we've been so busy as of late that I had forgotten what hanging out with these guys was like. I remember the day we met so clearly it like I'm watching a movie.

_FLASHBACK-Go back to chapter three, its from there where this picks up from _

_I looked at the three stunned people and ask, "So you gonna help me or not?" I ask as they look at me still dumfounded._

_Then the one in front wakes up from his trance and asks, "What do you need help with. Tell us first and we'll decide from there."_

_I sigh but nod, "Ok I have some things that I need to get done. The first thing is we need to go to Magnolia and sneak into the town undetected. Then we need to kill someone," I look at them as they all, having awoken from their trances now, stare at me waiting for me to finish. "from Fairy Tail, a specific mage. I won't tell you who just yet but know she has to die, SHE HAS TO." I say the last part firmly and they nod in understanding. 'Good no questions asked kind of people, just what I need!' "Ok then from there we will take something from fairy Tail, and then use it to find a certain someone. His name is Zeref." I look expecting a look of surprise from them, but all I see are the harden faces of mages with no fear. Good. "Then we will kill him."_

_I see as their faces light up and smirks cross their faces, their de-facto leader saying, "You should have led with that, we know who he is even though me and my wife are not from here. And we must say we are not afraid of him. He is something that we cannot allow to live anymore, so we will help, if it means he dies." He walks up to me and offers his hand and I can't help but smile at him, happy that it went so well. "So when do we start?"_

"_Now let's go." I say as I turn to leave._

"_Whoa there mijo! While we may have agreed to help you, we still don't know you. What's your real name?" The woman ask as I inwardly groan, why do women have to be so damn paranoid of random strangers soliciting help?_

"_Sorry but from here on out, we use codenames. Well actually numbers, in terms of power, except for me I am the boss here. And the woman with me is number two."_

"_Oh and what makes you think she stronger than…" The short stops talking as Two beigns to exert her magical power and suffocates the three. I hold my hand for her to stop and she does, the three look on in horror and the short one says, "I was mistaken, forgive me Boss."_

_The two with him look at each other and break out laughing at their friend's submissiveness, me joining with them as he did a 180 in less than a minute. Man this was gonna be fun._

_END FLASHBACK_

I smile at the memory and say as the food is served, "So guys we are almost done here, three weeks so remember we are going to attack one more person, but we are not going to mess them too badly, and five I'm talking to you here." I look at him and he pouts eliciting laughter from the rest of us. We are in the homestretch now, but before the maelstrom that is to come, we will have our fun at least. Before we begin the endgame to the plan.

**XXXXX  
>AN: And scene, wow that was pretty revealing. If you didn't see it coming that the trio from chapter three were these guys from last chapter where the woman said cabron like in chapter three then I don't know what to say. Oh, well remember to answer the poll question and to answer either PM me or put it in the reviews. SO PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Apologies

**A/N: WHOOP! New follower in .3! I have decided to make this chapter two of three today, so Enjoy! Chapter 16 everybody!**

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The Next Day (Levy POV, 2 weeks 6 days to wedding)

I sit in my kitchen and watch as Joi and Lily eat their breakfast. I usually am eating with them, but today I don't feel hungry, instead I feel empty… and extremely guilty. It had not even been a full twenty four hours yet, not a full day since Jet and Droy, and others, had retired from being mages and promptly left the guild. 'I had known what was going to happen the moment they walked into the guild, the told me the night before but I don't know. I guess I thought it was a ploy of theirs to get my attention, so I didn't really believe them but seeing the guild mark disappear in front of my eyes and seeing the looks on their faces, the looks of men who seemed to be free from expectations and now free to live life like they would actually like made me feel bad. Like I was part of the cause of their unhappiness.' The conversation of the previous two night still fresh in my mind…

_FLASHBACK, Two nights ago_

_I hear a knock at my door and look at Gajeel, 'who could it be this late at night?' His thoughts mirroring mine he turns into pure steel and stalks quietly to the door and checks who is at the door. He sighs, frustrated at who it was, and throws open the door saying, "Oi shrimp it's your fan club." _

_I know he means Jet and Droy and I get up to greet them, and say cheerily, "JET! DROY! HI GUYS!" But the look they have on their faces make me lose the spirit I just had and ask them, "What's wrong?"_

"_We have something we need to tell you. May we come in?" Jet asks, I look at Gajeel concerned, a look he reciprocates as his brow furrows in confusion of their tone. They were normally super excited when ever they saw me so the look of sadness and seriousness is a shock to us both. I nod and show them and tell Joi and Lily, "Hey Lily, could you take Joi and tuck her in for the night?" _

_Being extremely aware, he was already picking Joi up and says, "Of course, take your time." As he walked over to Joi's room I turn around and look at the duo, they look like something horrible had happened._

"_So, what do you need to tell me guys?" I ask looking at the two of them._

_They both look at each other and sigh, Droy being the one to break the silence, "Levy, we have both decided to do something and we hope you aren't going to be mad.." I look at them my concern growing by the second. I had never seen them so serious or nervous before. What could it be? Were they going to tell me that they're gay or that Shadow Gear is disbanding? Gay I wouldn't be surprised with nor would I have any serious qualms with our team disbanding as I felt the need for them to branch out and get out from under my shadow. And Gajeel's accompanying shadow. "Levy we have decided to retire from being mages and from the guild in general."_

"_EHHHHH?! What did you just say?! RETIREMENT?!" This was a curveball. 'Retiring? Why would they do that? They have been mages for so long and they have been a part of Fairy Tail for even longer! Why would they just up and quit? Wait a minute.' Then it hit me, this was a ploy to get my attention, it has to be no way would they just up and quit like this. "Alright now I get it. You know if you guys wanted to hang out with me and get some attention you should have just said so. You definitely almost had me there, looking all serious like that. Haha, very funny."_

_They looked surprised before that surprise changed to frustration. Jet was the first to speak and he said, "We're serious Levy we're retiring tomorrow first thing in the morning and taking a long vacation with Nab, Warren, and Max. Us plus Macao and Wakaba are all retiring tomorrow. ALL OF US." _

_The fact that they were being deathly serious eluded me and I laughed and said, "Uh-huh sure, next thing you'll tell me is that you two have been secretly dating since the whole Natsu incident. Haha very funny, good job guys. Now seriously what's the problem?" I look at them expecting to see the faces that usually accompany being in the prescience of these two._

_Instead I look to find angry scowls in place, Droy this time responding, "OK. First off Levy we're not GAY! We both have had girlfriends before and have no feelings like that for each other and secondly and more importantly… WE ARE SERIOUS! WE ARE RETIRING TOMORROW MORNING AND WILL BE LEAVING AFTER THE WEDDING FOR A SIX MONTH VACATION." The looks on their faces grew even more intense than before. _

_However it doesn't register with me and I look at them and laugh saying, "Wow, I'm impressed. Usually you guys can't lie to me for more than five minutes consecutively, but now you are able to! I'm happy you guys are moving past you're infatuation with me. And ok I get it you are not gay as of right now." I laugh at the last part, proud of my little joke that a person like Gajeel would make._

"_YOU KNOW WHAT, FINE! DON'T BELIEVE US! I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! JET LET'S GO HOME." And with that they both got up and walked to the door and before leaving Droy turns around and yells back, "AND LEVY? FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU AND YOUR MOCK PITY FOR US! ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!" With that they leave, slamming the door so hard that it falls clean off._

_I sit there shocked, completely floored. Thy had never said anything so mean to me before and made me wonder, 'Were they serious? Were they really going to retire? No, no way they would, it's all just part of their ploy. Yeah that must be it.' I get up and say, "Alright Gajeel, let's go to sleep it's late and I wanna rest."_

"_Levy…" He says quietly making me look at him, "They were serious you know, they will quit tomorrow." _

"_HA! Unlikely, now come on let's go to sleep!" I say confidently, but my gut doesn't match my voice. 'I really hope they were kidding.'_

_The Next Morning_

_I watch the doors eagerly and wait, getting here early so I could watch and see that I was right. Then they enter with Max, Warren, Macao, Wakaba, and Nab in tow. 'Coincidence, that's all' I see them walk to the stairs and Max goes and asks Mira something, her face growing concerned. 'Umm…' I watch as they all go upstairs and walk into master's office. 'No…' A few moments later they all walk out but Warren and make their way out of the guild doors. As they get half way out they all stop and my heart breaks into a tiny million pieces. The place where their guild mark would have been shines and a light begins to glow and fly off of their bodies. I stare dumfounded, 'They were serious and I had laughed at them in their faces, and now they were leaving and who knows if I'll ever see them again. What kind of friend does that?' I watch as they all leave and make their way home for the day. I watch as my heart lies on the ground before me; shattered, battered, and broken beyond repair._

_Later that Day_

_I walk down a familiar path alone, it's a path I had walked many times before, but this time it's seemingly longer and stretches on for what looks to be miles. It was the path to team Shadow Gear's secret hiding place aka the guys' house. I finally reach the door and knock loudly, my heart racing in millions of pieces in my chest. Jet opens the door and I walk right in. "HOW COULD YOU GUYS?! I THOUGHT WE WERE A TEAM!"_

"_WE WERE, but now… we no longer feel welcome here, we feel like bunch of outsiders looking in at the rest of the guild while they have their fun. We feel like outcasts and everyone is to blame," Jet said as he looked directly at me now. "You included,"_

"_We began to realize that we were secondary to the guild life and we were tired of treated as such. We have feelings too, you know? And we weren't about to watch them be trampled anymore. Sorry but this has to be done." Droy added _

_I look at them and begin to grow increasingly sad and ask, "Have I really gone that far? I never meant to treat you guys like that. Please forgive me, don't retire!" I was pleading with them now. _

_But it was to no avail as they both shook their and Droy said, "I'm sorry Levy, but this is the end for us, we no longer have the will nor the strength to continue being mages. It was just a matter for us, and with everything that has happened lately, we decided that it was time for us to leave this life. We lived a fun a life as mages, but know it's time for us to move on, we do want to thank you very much for everything you have done for us and doing it with us. We hope that Gajeel and you live long lives and happy ones as well. Don't be sad for us we are ok with our choice and are actually a little relieved as well since we won't have to risk our lives daily anymore." He smiles at me and I realize there is not stopping them. _

_My eyes begin to water and I say, "I'm-I'm happy for you guys. Really I am. I'm gonna go home now, so please take care." I say and leave quickly, before my tears fall freely and I rush home and upon entering break down fully and sobbing myself to sleep. Gajeel had come home at some point and moved me to the bed, holding me as I cry into his arms again until I fall asleep._

_END FLASHBACK_

'When did I lose them? If they're gone who's left? I know I have Gajeel and Joi and Lily, but is that it? No I won't let that be! I will win back at least one of my best friends back. LUCY!' I get up quickly and tell Lily, "I'm going to Lu-chan's house, I'll be back, take Joi to the park in the meantime." He nods and I am off in a flash. I run to her apartment and run as fast as I can, going alone so I can talk to her best friend to best friend.

I arrive and quickly go up to her door and knock rapidly, until she opens the door. I immediately throw my hands around her and say, "I'm so sorry Lu-chan! I have been a terrible friend! I treated you differently, like you were some porcelain doll! I should have treated you like before when I trusted you fully and allowed you to take risks and we had fun together. I'm so sorry!" I begin to cry and I try and stop it so I can continue.

But she begins to cry and says, "I'm sorry too! You are one of the only people who has treated me at least a little bit like before! I should never have shut you out though, that was partly why you pulled away from me and treated me so differently, you thought I was in need of that. I'M SORRY!"

We begin to cry and we do so for at least five minutes. Finally we regain our composure and look at each other, I ask her, "Friends again?"

"Friends Forever and Always, Levy-chan" She says and smiles at me, and smile back at her, 'This is the turning point in my life. I got my best friend back."

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><strong>

**A/N: What a tearjerker! So glad I got them to make up! Well one more chapter today so be ready! Remember to answer the question in the previous chapter! READ AND REVIEW! PLEASE REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Shadows

**A/N: One last Chapter today! Mega shout-out to Decondar who not favorited and followed the story, but me as an author as well! SO AWESOME! And regular shout-out to sashaXmafuyuForever for the review. NOW onto chapter 17 enjoy!**

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The Next Day (Gildarts POV, 2 weeks 5 days to wedding)

I walk back into Magnolia, having been gone since the start of the month on business… yeah let's go with that. I had heard about Lucy beating Erza though, which is why I was coming back now, to see for myself just how much she had grown. I hadn't seen her fight in over a year and was curious to see her progress, I had helped her trained after all. I continue walking when something or rather someone caught my eye. He was in a full body cloak that was gray, he was short and not very strong looking but what he was doing dispelled the notion of him being weak. He was using magic, the name of it escaping me, but he was jumping from shadow to shadow as if he were part of it. I recognized the cloak as one that the attackers wore and I knew he was one of them, and that I couldn't let him escape. He was an enemy of the guild and that made him my mortal enemy, an enemy I must crush with my disassembly magic. I try and sneak up on him and surprise him, but he saw me.

He came at me from the shadows and landed a blow to my chest before disappearing again. Shit he was fast, I feel like I have fought him before though, the style of battle feeling awfully familiar. I don't dwell on it though as I see him coming this time and dodge his fist, but not his leg that came and nailed me in the face, ouch that hurt. Not. His attacks were light and he had yet to seriously hit me hard. I wait for him to come at me and see him coming and throw a punch at him at full strength, wanting to end this quickly, but with his speed he dodges and gets behind me and sends me flying, ok now this was gonna hurt a little bit. Then suddenly he was above me and he punched me in the gut, causing me lose my chance to lessen the blow by hitting the ground before land with my magic, the impact would have been lessened as the shock of the attack would have slowed me down a bit. But as he punched me in the gut I was sent flying to the ground and landed with a crash. My landing causing a massive crater as big as a building, and the pain searing through my tired body. I groan and stand up, taking off my cape as I begin to get a bit more serious and not wanting to lose my favorite cape as the ladies love them the cape.

I begin to move out of the crater when suddenly he's on me again this time throwing punches so fast the only thing I can do is dodge and move backwards until I feel my self being backed into a corner. I feel my back hit the opposite side of the crater and a fist hitting my face knocking my head back, my heading hitting the wall. I snap my head back up and begin to attack, but am surprised as none of punches hit my target, and he eventually catches my right fist. I was banking on this and had put magic into this hoping to disassemble him into mini versions of him. However nothing happened and he suddenly picked me up by my fist and threw me down on the floor and threw me back to where I was before still holding my fist. I stood up and head butted him and he lets go in shock, I charge in and land a punch and he is pushed back a bit with his head leaning back.

He slowly snaps his head back and says, "Thank you, may I have another?" And I realize that going at half speed was not going to cut it.

I check and see that I'm far enough away from Magnolia to not cause any damage and let the magic flow out of me and say, "Sure thing." I charge in and begin throwing punches so fast that he can't see them and is hit hard in the face. He flies back and hits the other side of the crater and then disappears, clearly trying to make me lose my focus and relax. 'Not a chance' I think and realize that since he uses shadows to hide, I look and see that the entire side I was on is in the shadows. I build up some magic and release it all at once. The force of the magic destroys the walls of the crater and all the surrounding trees and anything else that could create a shadow near by. After the force of the attack calms down I look around and do not see him, 'huh, where did he go? The shadows are all go…' I can't finish my though as a fist hits me square in the jaw and sends me flying upward, I prepare myself for him to hit me in the gut but instead I feel a fist hit my back and crack a few vertebrae. I arch my back in pain and howl, then he is on top of me and he sends me flying to the ground, and as if is everywhere at once, he catches me with a back breaker and I feel so much pain that I howl loudly enough for someone at the guild to hear me. I begin to fade into unconsciousness and say, "Damn I shouldn't have dicked around, Now I lost."

I hear a scoff and he says, "You Gildarts Clive? That was only half or sixty percent right?" I nod as he hit the nail on the head, "Wow that's sad, that was only me at fifty percent, and I crushed you. You're getting old man, getting way too old. Time to let the youth take over." And that's the last thing I hear before I black out, hoping no one ever fights one on one with these guys, no one in the guild would survive for ten minutes.

(POV Change to Number Five)

I sigh as I walk away from Clive, inwardly giddy, as I finally got a chance to wail on someone. I then hear footsteps and hide in the trees that are still standing. 'Shit was I too loud or did I dick around too much too?' I watch as four people come into my sight and one dressed in red says, "Five where ya at? It's the Boss." I sigh partly relieved that it's just the group, but also worried as I made a big scene. I come down and get ready to face the music, but instead finding them all smiling and laughing. The Boss says, "Damn! You beat Clive good! We saw the whole thing and you totally owned him! Nice work!"

I smile at him and say, "Thanks, I was not too sure how it would go since he is widely considered the guild ace, but he was a lot weaker than I thought he would be."

"Yeah, that's because he lost an arm and a leg fighting against Acognolia way back in the day, before he went missing with the rest of Fairy Tail. He is not nearly as strong as he used to be. But still it's impressive none the less. Well done." I was kinda sad that he was no longer as strong as he used to be but still excited that I won so easily. "Now don't get too excited we have work to do, come on we gotta go, we beat the guild mages here by a few minutes but we should hurry. Back to camp!" He orders and we all run away quickly, just barely escaping as the guild members arrive and drop their jaws in shock at the body lying before them, their ace in the hole was stuck in his hole.

(POV Change back to Gildarts)

I wake up hearing the voice of Lucy saying, "Hey old man, you okay? You took quite a beating today." I look around and see I'm still here, in the crater, my cape now thoroughly trashed by my own magic and my pride left in shambles. 'Only fifty percent? HOLY SHIT! That is way too crazy to even think about. Am I really getting that old to where I am no longer able to protect the guild, or is he just trying to get under my skin? Yeah that must be it, everyone has a bad day and it's my own fault, I messed around instead of fighting seriously and it cost me.'

"I'm fine, just played around too much. I could have taken him." I say standing up and smiling at her and say, "Will everyone calm down now? I'm fine!"

"Uh-huh, pops, sure you are. You didn't get your ass handed to you or nothing. Oh wait you did." I turn and see my daughter Cana looking at me with a worried look on his as I look at her wondering what's wrong. I look at myself and see my body is cut up and already badly bruised, and then I feel the pain from the blows I took take over my body and I collapse to the ground unconscious. "POPS!"

(POV Change to Lucy)

I watch in horror as Gildarts falls down and blacks out, everyone rushes towards him and makes sure he's ok, and Cana stands where she was in shock as her father laid on the ground in front of her completely defeated. I go over to her and say, "Cana! Come on we need your help moving him, turn him into a card so we don't move him too much and make the damage any worse. Cana! Wake up!"

Finally she springs to life and throws a card at her dad and he is transported into the card, Cana looks at me and says, "Thanks Lucy. I needed that help. Let's go! Everyone come on we can dote on him back at the guild hall. Let's Go!" And with that they turn and make their way back to the guild. I hang back and look around, seeing the carnage and the sight of an awesome battle. 'Man I missed out, and I really wanted to show him how much I have grown since we last sparred. Oh well I'll wait until he's better. Who knows, it may happen very soon!' I look around again and, seeing nothing of interest turn and head back to the guild and, my mind wondering, just how did a shadow mage not named Rogue beat Gildarts so easily? Has he really gotten that old or was the mage that strong? I mean I have a feeling about it but I'm not sure. Well we will probably find out soon enough, won't we?' I look behind me and swear I see a group of five people in full body cloaks there, but I blink again and they are gone. I call out Loke and tell him to scan the area, and to make sure no one is here. He nods as I continue walking back, looking over my shoulder and every now and then.

But I see nothing as I finally reach the guild and Loke appears next to me and says, "All clear princess, have a good day!" I nod and he leaves me wondering, 'why did I get so excited when I thought I saw them. I push the thought to the back of my mind and enter the guild and see everyone drinking as usual, no one paying too much attention until I walk in and everyone yells "Congrats Lucy!" and I see a cake that says Congrats on it. "It's to celebrate your victory over Erza! Sorry it took so long to give to you!" says Gray and I smile, now this was more like the Fairy Tail I knew.

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A/N: And I am finally done for the day! Thanks everyone, please answer the question in chapter 15 and see you guys soon. READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Plot Thickens

**A/N: Hello there everyone! How are we today? Good? Good. Great? That's awesome!... Ok that's it! Lucy it's official you suck at writing!**

**Natsu: What did you say? (His fist light on fire while Lucy giggles)**

**Umm, nothing… (He nods and puts out his fires) So this will be the only chapter today and shout outs to AztecBrat for the follow and to Decondar, sashaXmafuyuForever, and brucie86 for their reviews! Enjoy Chapter 18!**

**Lucy: Hey that's not what I wrote! NATSU! (Natsu attacks as another fight ensues) So easy sometimes.**

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A week and five days later (Laxus POV, a week to the wedding)

'Ugh! I hate paper!' I mentally yell as I give myself yet ANOTHER FUCKING paper cut, this making the one hundredth by my count. My hands are covered in bandages and now my wrists are starting to get cut, how I don't even know. I had taken over some of the paperwork form gramps after the Gildarts fiasco since he was extremely shaken by the fact that the one widely considered the guild ace was beaten up like a punching bag, even if he was going only sixty or so percent full strength because the other guy was in the same boat. 'Damn, his timing was awful, the wedding is so close and yet he has almost destroyed the confidence of the guild. Was that guy really that strong? Or did Gildarts dick around too much? And what kind of magic did he use that could take Gildarts' disassembly magic and make it seem weak? Who are these people and why are they attacking us? OW!' one hundred and one paper cuts now.

I hear the door open and I see Olive walk into the little room that is my temporary office for the time being. "Hey babe, what's up? Maks ok? You hungry yet? Wanna go get lunch? Maybe eat OUT? And I don't necessarily mean food." I say at her, giving her that look of lust that she was used to and would usually give into.

But today she just sighed and said, "I wish we could. But I was told to come and get you, Gildarts woke up and Warrod and Gajeel are back from their little 'hunt'. They don't look too happy." I groan as this all means more work for me to do, and I stand up looking very annoyed. She gave me a hug which I returned before she said, "I'm sorry babe. But you know we could let Maks stay with Jiji for the night, and have some alone time." She was drawing patterns on my arm, which I knew to mean only one thing and one thing only, sex! I looked down at my wife, at her beautiful brown hair and her perfect body. She was about two head lengths shorter than me and it was always easy to pick her up and give her a big hug like she were a squish toy, so when I did just that I was careful not to crush her and break the love of my life.

I gave her a chaste kiss and look at her beautiful hazel eyes, gods how did I get so lucky and marry this goddess, not that I'm ugly but my scar is kind of a turn off. But she loved me for some odd reason, odd quirks and all, and I loved her for it even more. "Yes sir! Sounds like a plan!" I say as I give her butt a squeeze and she yelps in surprise before she slaps me for making her yelp in public. I apologize saying, "sorry but putting a goddess in front of me is not helping me have any self-control."

She rolls her eyes and says, "Yeah, yeah. Come on put me down and get to work," She says and I reluctantly oblige and let her down, smiling at her and hoping to get some tonight, more like praying for it. "The faster you go the faster we can have sex."

HOLY SHIT. I was so getting laid tonight!

I kiss her on the cheek and run out of the room and ask Mira "Where are they?"

She giggles at my face, clearly understanding what Olive said, and says, "Upstairs in the infirmary. Hurry up and I'll make sure master takes Maks, ok?" I do and rush up the stairs and run to the infirmary, and burst through the door, breaking it in the process and it flies and hits Gajeel in the face. He starts to growl but I cut off his anger and say, "Sorry Gajeel. In a rush, so first Gildarts, what happened exactly and where is Jiji? He will want to hear about this." I say and as if waiting for his cue gramps walks in and I say, "Ok good now Gildarts what happened to you?"

He looks at me, eyes somber, and he says "I was soundly crushed. Didn't even stand a chance, but I also did it to myself, I was tired from the journey and dicked around way too much. He felt oddly familiar though… as if I fought either him or the guy who taught him because the way the guy fought felt very similar… Wait! I know! I remember fighting a guy way back in the day his name was… Kurayami and he was a creepy bastard. He was a freelance mage and was overall not that bad a guy but was in the way of my goal. He almost got me but I was able to beat him. But I don't think that was him, he was very tall and had a higher pitched voice, the man I fought was short and had the deepest, gruffest voice I have ever heard."

"Ok, so what type of magic did he use, and how does it work?" Warrod asked and we looked at Gildarts, waiting for his answer.

"He used some sort of shadow magic, it was odd, it was if he were the shadows but he couldn't eat them like a dragon slayer can. It was as if he was merely using them to transfer himself between two points instantaneously. Almost as if he passes through a separate dimension when he does so, it was truly strange. But don't let his size fool you, he is very strong with his punches and has long arms, he was able to move extremely fast too, and even though I destroyed the shadows, er rather the things that would create shadows, he was still able to move and was on me before I could even move. It was crazy, and he could jump really high and was able to send me flying and jump above me and hit me, he's very dexterous and nimble, not to mention flexible as he used that fact to dodge some of the punches I threw. The only thing that has me really worried was that I used my main attack, where I hit someone and cause him or her to disassemble into miniature versions of themselves, but he just caught my fist and nothing happened. My plan worked perfectly and yet it failed in terms of results. The only thing that surprised him was when I head butted him to get away from him and he let go in shock as if he wasn't expecting it at all."

"Maybe he doesn't like to fight dirty like that, some people only want to use fists and head butts to them seem barbaric and unprofessional." Gajeel stated and we nod our agreement with his assumption.

"Maybe. That would make sense as Kurayami was the same way now that I think about it, he got very upset whenever I did something 'dirty' during our fight, but other than that, I don't have any useful information."

"It's alright Gildarts, your information was very useful, now Gajeel and Warrod. What about you two? What information did you find out?" Gramps asked as the three of us turned to look at them, wondering how the 'hunt' really went. We sent the two of them into the outskirts of Magnolia to find the enemy but it seemed they came back empty handed. Not that I was surprised, if they wanted to be found they would be because if they didn't we sure as well weren't gonna find them, they were good at hiding.

"We didn't find the group themselves, but we did find something else." Warrod said and immediately I was surprised, what had they found that makes them seem so down right now? "We found what seemed to be a base camp of sorts, but there were no signs of anyone being there anymore. They left behind a lot of papers, and that is what has us worried." Uh-oh, his tone was not a positive one and I prepared myself for what the prognosis would be.

"They had plans for everything, plans for the building, plans for the church, plans for Magnolia as a whole, hell they even had the sewer plans. But that wasn't the worst part…" Gajeel said and immediately my heart sank into the floor and all the way down to where that thing in the basement was. This was not gonna be good, and what he said next had me floored, "They had all the guild members daily routines and other stuff, like the usual route they would take home, where they like to eat, where they shop, what time they do things like wash their teeth, take a bath, or come and go from here. It was creepy and is consistent with what actually is the case for the guild members. And worse yet they had the entire wedding rehearsal schedule, from times and the thing we were going to rehearse, it was all there. Hell they even had info on the non-mage family members of the guild like Joi, Mavis, even… umm even on Olive."

At the mention of Olive's name I tensed and began subconsciously holding my breath in fear. 'Could she have been a target? Where was she? Did they stalk her or something?' I ask tensely, "Any clues on how they got this information?" I had an idea but it would be very hard to believe and would really make me sick to my stomach.

"There was a letter, it was from one called number Two, and in it were instructions saying to continue gathering information on the guild." I look and feel slightly less tense, knowing it was probably just a stalker, not what I thought. "There was another letter that said that this number Two was needed and was being ordered to not blow their cover, so I think we all know what that means, right?" Fuck. I did and it is what I feared, there was a spy among us here in the guild and he or she was the one who helped put so many of us in the infirmary. Wendy was still here in fact and did not look like she was going to be feeling better, at least not mentally, anytime soon.

I groan and say "Are you sure? This is a very serious accusation, you know."

"Yes I'm sure, we have the letters here with us along with everything we found, would you like to see them future master?" Warrod asks and I nod as Gajeel hand me the file that is as thick as my bicep. I begin to sort through it with gramps and Gildarts and we gasp at the accuracy of the person dossier, they really had everything down to the T. Even our bedtimes were on point, I look through it and eventually find the letters and a note, the note saying how the recipient should deal with a person, Wendy I guess as the last line catches my: _Remind them of the Phantom Lord Incident._

I visibly cringe at the last line and pass the note to gramps and as I read it I poke my head out the opening that was the door and call, "Mira, could you come up here?"

I hear her ask Kinana and Olive to cover for her and she comes to where we are and asks, "what's wrong?"

"Is there anyone who is not here today?" I ask very tensely.

"I haven't seen Lucy, Juvia, Gray, or Lisanna. Why what's wrong?" She asks tense herself from seeing me be so tense.

"Go and find them, we need to ask them some things… It would seem there is a traitor in our mix." She looks at me in horror before rushing downstairs and going to see if they had come in as, surprisingly they all did. "Well it would seem we are gonna be here awhile asking everyone, us included, a whole lot of questions." I say and we all groan; fuck me. I was so not getting laid tonight.

Earlier that day (POV Change to unknown character)

I sip my hot coco as it's cold out, nearing the snowy season, and I love hot coco when it's like this. I'm waiting for someone and they really are making me wait, which made me extremely unhappy and annoyed. 'Why is he always late? If he says he lost track of time I'm sending him into next week, cause I know that's code for I stopped to eat, he eats way too much. Costs me an arm and a leg every time we go out and eat. Ah, there he is.' I see him walk up to the café, with someone else behind him, my brow furrowing in question before I see who it is. 'Oh he brought her too huh? Wonder why?' "Hey Boss, what's with number Two being here?" I ask as I give him a hug and give Two one too.

He sits down and gets right to the point, "We're pulling you out. It's close to go time and we need you back with us. It's time for to plan for the end game, and plus they found the old base camp so we relocated."

"What? They actually found it? Wow I'm shocked, they must have gotten lucky then, did they get anything useful or had you already moved like we discussed?" I ask and look him in the eye.

"They got what I wanted them to get, the stuff we coerced Kurogane into giving us(check chapter four for the scene), so nothing too useful, but they did find the schedule dossiers we left there, so they know there is someone that is a traitor, hence why we are pulling you out. Two will take your place as a proxy and make sure no one notices you're gone." He says and I sigh in agreement.

"You're lucky it's psychic projection of me and that we look identical, or else we would be in a jam. Hey Two, you'll need my house keys and all my stuff that will convince them that you really are me. Glad I learned this trick and that there is no way to tell people and psychic projections apart. Now here ya go." I say and pass her my personal belongings as she begins to put the stuff away and hands me her cloak as she is wearing the same exact thing I'm wearing. I put on the cloak and quickly pull up the hood. "Jeez wait until we reach a bathroom next time, ok go and head back to the guild, I'll head back with the Boss here."

She nods and says, "Ok should I go home first or straight to the guild? What do you usually do."

"Yell at people for no reason and beat the snot out of them, what do you think? You're me remember? Just do what you wanna do." I say very sarcastically as I wonder if this really is me and watch as she scowls at me and stalks off before sending a perv who tried and touch her butt flying all the way to Hargeon. "Yeah she's definitely a copy of me, so ready to take me back to base camp boss? And hey why were you late?"

"Had to avoid Kurogane and the old plant, they were coming back and passed through where I was passing through. It was almost a close call but they seemed very into getting back before something happened. It was cute actually, thinking that they could actually use that information against us. Must have really destroyed their confidence."

"Probably and I heard Five beat Gildarts? Now that's surprising. Didn't see that coming." I say and look at the Boss as he chuckles lightly.

"Yeah but it sucks, his head has gotten huge now and is really annoying. 'I beat their ace, I'm the best!' Ugh I would crush Clive with one hand tied behind my back an no magic, he's way too old."

"Oh please he's not that weak we both know that. But I will say this, Laxus is way stronger than before, he's probably the strongest now. I would bet on it. Still won't be enough to beat you but it should be fun at least. As long as I get Gildarts or Gray or even Jellal, now that would be fun. And make it two versus one with Erza now that would really be fun!" I say and we both break into laughter and walk away from the café. "So, how's everyone? I haven't seen them in two months."

"They're ok, they still argue like kids though which is really cute, reminds me of that couple we ran with a few years back, remember out in Boa? Yeah it was like watching there kids argue, but I always end up getting violent so I knock them out."

I sigh at the memory and day, "I miss them, I hope they are alright, I wouldn't want to hear that their government found them or anything because of our quick escape from there. Oh and where is your ring?! I still wear mine when I go to sleep Baka! If you lost it I swear…"

He pulls a necklace out and on it is our wedding ring, and he says, "I would never leave it behind. It was my only reminder of you the past few months and I would never take it off." I sigh contentedly at his reply and grab his arm.

We walk the rest of the way in a comfortable silence before we arrive and I ask, "Are we gonna do anything to the guild before the wedding or just plan? Either way I'm good."

"Just plan and rest up, we will need all of our energy for the big day." I nod and walk into the camp and look around seeing everyone there, waiting for us. The Boss says, "OK, we have a wedding to crash, so let's get planning!"

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A/N: Dun-dun-dun! So now we know the Boss is married and that Laxus is a horndog. Surprised? I hope so! Well don't forget to answer the question in fifteen via review or PM and see you guys tomorrow! READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS! (Steps over an unconscious Natsu and a thoroughly incensed and bound Lucy)


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Tension Rising

**A/N: Hello! AND OH MY LAURDIE! WHAT A CHAPTER IN THE MANGA! #400 WAS THE MOST EPIC CHAPTER EVER HANDS DOWN! And you guys say I write plot twists. Jeez. Crazy. Oh and shout out to levitsitu for the follow and to Decondar and sashaXmafuyuForever for their reviews! Enjoy chapter 19! Now what to do about you two…(Looks at Natsu and Lucy who are both bound and angry looking.)**

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The next day, early in morning (Warrod POV)

"FUCK! NO ONE CRACKED! The traitor is still out there and we are no closer to finding out who it is." Laxus yelled extremely frustrated. We had been interrogating everyone since yesterday after Gajeel and I had arrived back here, and we had interrogated about a third of the people in this guild. The ones conducting the interrogations were Laxus, Jura, Makarov, and I. Jura had finally showed his face around the guild after having to stay on the down low for his comrades safety as the mages from Lamia Scale had feared for their safety. But now that it was almost time for the wedding they came to our aid, like any good friend would do. I was waiting for the next person I was interrogating to come into the little hut I had set up outside the guild.

I walk out for a second and call, "Levy Redfox! Levy Redfox you are next!" I see her and Gajeel sitting holding each other and their young child, Joi I think her name is, and look my way. She stands up nodding and walks over to my hut, when she gets here I show her in and have her take the now heavily used stump I created using my magic that could tell when the person on it was nervous and be possibly lying, as not even lie detectors as perfect. "So how are we today Mrs. Redfox?" I ask as I sit down as well, but must look down at her since she's so short, "Oh sorry almost missed you sitting there, when did you come in… Just kidding I saw you walk in! HAHAHA!"

"Ummmm… I'm fine." The stump's verdict, truthful but nervous, so the joke made her nervous and uncomfortable, good this way I can have her off balance and if she is hiding something, it will be easier to get her to talk.

"Good. Now down to business, where were on the day of each attack, and I mean each one, regardless of if it was a fight or an assault." I say very seriously, allowing some of my magic power to come off me, which even in my dirt old age was still very strong. "Talk, if you got nothing to fear then it should be easy." I say after she shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, for the Elfman one I was in the guild with everyone, I was talking to Lucy and Happy. Then when Gajeel fought that woman I was in the house with Joi eating breakfast in the kitchen. For Mira's I was , ummm having, ummm" She began to get nervous.

"Having what?" I ask my gaze fixing on her intensely.

"…sex…" Oh, wow this is awkward. "For the Wendy attack I was with Gajeel and for the one at the guild I was there in the guild as well, waiting for the guys to get back and the second one at the guild I was there as well. As for the Gildarts fight I was asleep as it happened very early in the morning." Ok so far she checks out, now onto the most important question.

"Can you use psychic projection? If so how well?" I ask and ser brow furrow in confusion.

"No, why?" I look at her and she is not lying, even I could tell just by looking at her that this technique is not commonly use here by the stronger mages.

"Because with a psychic projection we cannot tell who the original is and would allow for a person to send the projection, which is a perfect clone of the caster, to masquerade as the person and allow the real person to do as they please. It's quite the handy trick. Well you check out for now, but don't go too far just yet and send your husband in next, he's next up so you two can go home and enjoy the rest of your day." She nods and walks out, a smile on her face after I explained psychic projection to her and she seemed to grasp the concept of it and learn something. She really was like Mavis in that aspect, she loved to learn and it made them happy to do so. Nerds, but I was best friends with Mavis so maybe Levy and me could get along as well. But first I look outside and see Gajeel walking over and how many others need to be interviewed. This was going to take a while.

Four Days Later (Day before the wedding)

"Finally we're done! But fuck we're no closer to figuring it out yet! UGH!" Laxus yelled in frustration as the four us, the interrogators, had just interviewing each other and had found nothing.

"Yeah in total we found that only Jellal and Cobra, and Laxus, can use psychic projection. And Cobra was at the guild with Kinana every time, and Jellal was gone for two whole weeks on a vacation and had only just arrived when the attacks had already started. And Laxus was in the same boat as Cobra as hew always with Olive and/or Makarov-dono." Jura said shaking his head as we all sighed exasperated.

"I was kind of surprised Lucy couldn't use it with how far she has come, Warrod you interrogated her, are you sure she can't use it?" Makarov asks me.

I nod my head and say, "Yeah, she said she couldn't and that she always around for the attacks, in plain sight. She was unnervingly calm though, didn't even flinch at my jokes that were bad and obviously trying to catch her off guard, she is one tough nut nowadays. Nothing like when I first met her, she was way more collected and introverted." I say and everyone nods in agreement. Oh Mavis, how much had changed since then. "Gajeel said he has the security plans set up so we should be good there. The wedding is tomorrow so let's head home and get ready, it's almost time for it. See you guys tomorrow!" I say and we all go our separate ways. I walk to the other side of the guild and walk to the other hut that I created when I first got here, and walk in saying, "Mavis, you here?"

"Yes Warrod, how did it go? Figure it out yet?" She asks as she makes herself visible as she sits down, er well float sits, next to me her feet not able to ghost the floor.

"Nope, and I have a bad feeling about tomorrow, I feel like they will attack us IN the church during the wedding, and that someone is not going to make it through the ceremony. Man I am paranoid!" I say as I chuckle nervously, not wanting tomorrow to come, feeling it to be the end of not only a guild member but I might not make it as well.

"Don't worry, my calculations say tomorrow is not the day you die. But I do agree with the fact that tomorrow will probably be someone's end. But who I can't tell." She said sighing sadly and looks to me, "When did this all go so wrong? When did I become so ok with losing people and that something so beautiful like a wedding would be ruined and I would be ok with it. I feel like I am sending them to their deaths, like I'm sending those I care about to their deaths, again."

"Don't talk like that Mavis, what happened to Yury wasn't your fault. He knew the risks of being a mage and was happy that he was a mage. He was also happy that he met you and won you over. He loved you, and more than just as a nakama and you know that. He loved you more than anything." I say as she breaks down remembering that day that happened so long ago.

_FLASHBACK_

_I watch as Mavis tells the children of the guild a story and smile at the children's faces lighting up about the fairies in the story. She truly had a knack for kids and loved them a lot, as she was with everyone, which is why she chosen as master. 'And she was pregnant, damn Yury, not even a year of marriage and yet you knocked her up. Well that's Yury for you, impatient as ever.'_

_My reverie was broken by the guild doors being thrown open and a very badly beaten Yury fell through the doors, I look at Mavis and her face is pale her mouth unable to form words until finally she yells, "YURY!" She gets up and runs over to him and I follow her, Precht close behind me. "YURY! TALK TO ME! ARE YOU OK? YURY SAY SOMETHING!"_

_He looks at us and smiles sadly, saying "Hey babe, guess I bit off a bit more than I could handle. Sorry, you were right." _

_He begins to cough up blood and Mavis breaks down. "Where's the medic! Someone help him! ANYONE! Please… someone help him." She looks around as everyone looks away from her gaze as they know it's no use. He was already half way in the grave._

"_Hey stop being so loud. You're hurting my head midget. Why did I marry you?" He looked at her and smiled sadly, "That's right I remember, it's because you make me the happiest I could ever be. I love you Mavis no matter what people say."_

"_Stop talking! Save your energy. MEDIC!" She yells and looks around as she realizes no one has moved, and it hits her, Yury was not going to make it._

"_Hey sing that song with me… one last time. The one about Fairy Tail."_

_She nods and they both begin to sing, "There will be painful times… sad times…I will be with you through thick and thin… You are never alone… The hopes we carry are matched by the number stars twinkling in the sky, the rustling of the wind on our bodies are premonitions for what's to come tomorrow… now let us take a stroll, to the melody from the song of Fairies…" As they neared the end of the song, Yury had stopped singing and had closed his eyes, his lips curled up in a smile that was never going to come off his face forever now. He had passed away and when Mavis finished the song she began to sob uncontrollably and did so into his chest. Somehow she managed to pick him up and move him into a hug, which was not returned and was never returned again._

_END FLASHBACK_

I looked at Mavis, the memory fresh in our minds. She didn't wait long before following the idiot, as she died giving birth to Makarov, continuing the trend of tragic past necessary to be a Fairy Tail Mage. Especially the trend to be the master of Fairy Tail. "Mavis, I'm scared, I'm alone, and yet I feel no sadness, no regrets… Does this mean that I'm ok dying? Does that mean my mind knows something that it isn't telling me?" I looked at her as her crying lessened.

She looked at me and said seriously, "No Warrod, it just means your old." We looked at each other in silence before we both began to smile and then were down right laughing, me on the floor, rolling and grabbing my sides from the pain of her joke. "Warrod, it really is just because you have lived your life fully and have no regrets. It doesn't necessarily mean your going to die. But I am sorry for leaving you like that back then. I was sad that I couldn't help raise Makarov but I am glad that someone was able to and make him just like Yury, for that I thank you. And the others say hello." She said smiling at the last part, as suddenly, Yury and Precht appeared from nowhere, smiling at me.

I smiled at them, jumping up and saying, "Guys! How are you two even here? I thought only Mavis could do this!"

"Don't ask, we aren't even sure how she does it, let alone how we're doing it. Oh and where's Makarov? I wanna scare him so good right now! HAHAHA!" Yury said, causing Precht to smack him upside the head.

"You dumbass! We agreed to only show ourselves to Warrod! He's the one who raised your kid so show him some respect! Sorry Warrod, he's an idiot and sorry for losing myself before, I got lost looking for power for some odd reason. Please forgive me." Precht said as he looked at me sadly.

"Yeah I'm sorry as well, sorry to both you and Mavis for leaving you guys like I did, I never intended to do this to you guys and now I left my kid in your hands. He's a total pervert huh Mavis? Dammit Warrod can you not have taught him so many bad habits? I bet he learned a lot of things that were so not cool huh?" Yury asked as I looked them and felt tears well up in my eyes.

"Thank you, Precht I forgive you, I did the moment I heard what happened to you. Yury… sorry bro but he's a total pervert and was always made fun of because of how not cool he was, but also because of short he is so blame Mavis for that one!" I said pointing at Mavis. 

"Hey! It's not my fault he got my height!" She yelled defending herself.

"WHAT?! He's as short as Mavis, ugh goddammit. Why did I marry and fall in love with a short person? But hey let me tell you since she was so short she was able to egt into some really kinky postio…" Yury began to say before Mavis cut him off.

"OK! THAT'S IT! COME HERE YOU UNGRATEFUL JERK!" She yelled as they began to wrestle which was really weird to see ghosts wrestling but had me laughing and Precht smirking at their childishness. "UGH! Why did I marry you?" She asked as Yury had won the wrestling match and was hugging her tightly around her chest so she couldn't escape.

"Because I love you and you love me. Our love is like a teenager's, never ending and forever until we grow old. And it's worked out pretty well huh?" He asked turning her around and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Yeah it has, thank you for choosing me. I love you." She said smiling at him. Everyone had a smile on right now and it felt like the old days, and I could have died right then and there. I was so happy.

(POV Change to the Boss)

"So are we ready then?" I asked looking around at everyone gathered as they all nodded and looked at me. They were all very serious and looked ready to fight then and there, they all knew the risks and rewards of the plan. They were ready and able and wanted to do this. We were ready and the plans were ready as well. "We cannot fail! We will not fail! You all know what to do and are ready to do it. I have faith in all of you. What's our motto?"

"THOUGH WE MAY HAVE NO TRUE HOME WE ARE NEVER ALONE! THOUGH NO ONE MAY WANT US WILL DO WHAT IS NEEDED! THOUGH NO ONE MAY APPRECIATE WHAT WE DO WE WILL ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING! WE ARE THE FORSAKEN, THE FORGOTTEN, THE LOST, WE ARE THE RONIN! DEATH TO OUR ENEMIES AND TO THE EVER LASTING GLORY THAT AWAITS US IN THE FUTURE. LIVE! FIGHT! LIVE AND FIGHT FOREVER!" We chanted loudly and I looked up to see the passion burning in their eyes, they were most definitely ready for this. And so was I.

**XXXXXX**

**A/N: The calm before the storm has passed, now comes the storm! This is the first of three chapters today so get ready! READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Beginning of the Storm

**A/N: Hey guys! Chapter two of three today so there's still one more to go! So sit back, kick up your feet, and enjoy! **

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The Wedding Day (Number Three POV)

"Hey you ready babe?" I ask as I walk out of the bathroom and finish putting on the cloak that we all wear she looks at me, "It's time to go, and are you ready yet?" I look as she nods and pulls up the hood that has defined us and kept our identity a secret for these past two months, but after today they would do so no longer. I couldn't wait for that, I have been too bored here and haven't been able to travel like I love to do. But just because we'd be done here didn't mean the job was done. We still had to find Zeref and finish him off and this was the first step in doing so, something we all knew but were ok with. We have become a unit and we have grown into a family here and would have it no other way.

"Yeah I'm ready, let's go cabron you're scaring me with all the thinking you're doing lately. It doesn't suit you. Now let's go!" I glare at her jab, but move towards the door and open it, making sure no one was here.

I see no one and walk to the sewers for what should be the last time in this town, and open the grate and jump down, Four following me closely as we make our way through the sewers to the church. "Ok so you remember what to do?"

"Yes cabron! When we get there you are going to drill us up into our position underneath the couple and then we wait until they both get there and Makarov starts his spiel and when they get to the vows, we wait until they both finish and not a moment later we spring up and grab them and make the our hostages as Five grabs the target and then we go form there." Just like the Boss said, I'd expect nothing less from her.

Five however… "You heard all of that right Five?" I say into the lacrima I had pulled out so he could hear her explain everything to him.

"Yeah, yeah. You think I'd forget something this important? How rude of you two! HAHAHAHA! Good luck guys. Stay safe please, and I mean it, we got other engagements to be at and I won't forgive you for dying on me, you're all the family I got left." I pause and am at a loss for words at his words, he may not say nor do I but when I met him three years it was the most important day of my life. It was the day I met my brother in arms and met the man I would gladly call my true brother, I'd die for him and vice versa. "Sorry had to be said, now keep moving alright the Boss wants the timing of this to be perfect and the wedding starts in an hour. Move it! Five out,"

"Roger that, Three and Four out. Stay Frosty, Live Forever." I call back, saying the phrase we coined for when we go out hunting for the target at the same time.

"Stay Frosty, Live Forever." He calls back and we share a moment of silence, silence that says all that needs to be said without having to be said. I put the lacrima away and continue our walk to the cathedral.

"We'll survive and we both know it. The only question is how long do we get to celebrate the victory, and how long do we get to see our son, E.J.? I miss him." She says and I nod my head in agreement.

'How long has it been? Five years? Yeah it actually has been five years… wow I'm an awful father. I need to spend more time with him.' "Who knows? The Boss will decide all that when we're done. For now let's focus on the job ok? I promise you this though, we will get to see him again… soon hopefully." I say as she nods sadly and we arrive at our destination, man was this place huge. We move into position and get settled in, waiting for the ceremony to start and for the storm that is the Ronin to pass through. Nothing would be the same once we passed through.

(POV Change to Five)

I arrive at the church to find it heavily guarded by the mages, fuck this was going to be a pain in the ass. I carefully begin to move and I worm my way into a crowd of people that are passing by the church and use them to get close to the building. Once close enough I use my magic and disappear into the shadows. I use the shadows to move along the cathedral and position myself near the window. Very quietly I open the window and move inside, into the rafters and check the ground, there are a couple of mages inside but they seem to be doing last checks before they let everyone in. As they move to the back to let the people into the cathedral for the wedding I move forward and hide myself in the shadows casted by the seats and hide for a moment before moving into position. I wait and see everyone pile in and now they join the game, the waiting game.

(POV Change to Gray)

I take my place next to master as he groans, "Already? Gray your clothes…UGH!" I look and curse to myself as I find that I already lost my jacket and my vest, while working on my tie. I walk back down the aisle and pick up the jacket and vest and walk back to the front. My tuxedo was a custom design by the most well known designer in all of Fiore who was in attendance but was now unconscious on the floor thanks to my stripping habit and his best tuxedo being thrown around like it was bought in a thrift store.

As he was helped up and out of the church I shook my head and stood next to master and watched as the wedding continued, Loke and Lucy, the best man and maid of honor came in, they wore a light blue dress if they were a girl and a snow white suit for the men. I watched as each couple began to walk in, Erza and Jellal, Wendy and Doranbolt, Elfman and Lisanna, and Levy and Gajeel. They all took their places before Lucy deadpanned at me saying, "GRAY YOUR CLOTHES!" Before she looked away in horror. Boy was I nervous, stripping twice in the span of ten minutes after being told I already had? Man was I excited too, finally I would get to marry Juvia after all this time. Don't let the cold shoulder I gave her early on, I loved from the moment she joined up with us and saved my life. She may have been weird and odd and strange and sometimes downright creepy, but I was over the top crazy, I mean I have a stripping habit! I'm the weirder one of the two and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I then see Joi walking down the aisle followed by Lily who was looking rather dapper in his little suit but looked miserable being forced to wear the suit and being the ring bearer. But he gave me a small smile that told me he was happy for me and that he was happy for Juvia too. I saw everyone looking my way sending me their silent congratulations and I felt the happiest I ever have felt.

Then the organs start to play and we all look to the door and in walked in an angel dressed in white. She had blue hair and white skin, her eyes a beautiful shade of dark blue and her body was that of a Greek goddess and the dress that she wore was perfect, it hugged her body perfectly and made her look even more curvy than she normally did. There was no way she could be there to marry me, she was perfect and I was, "Gray-sama your clothes!" I looked down to see that I was not wearing any clothes again, except for my underwear thank god.

"OI WHAT TILL TONIGHT TO DO THAT!" Someone yelled and the whole church was laughing.

I groaned and walked to where Juvia had fallen unconscious from the sight before, the reason being that we were in public, she had definitely seen me naked many times before. I wake her up saying, "Juvia, babe wake up we have a wedding to do."

"Huh? This was real and not a dream?!" Juvia said looking up at me, seeing I was still half naked she smiled brightly and stood up. "Gray-sama and I are really getting married?!" She squealed in delight and grabbed my hand and dragged me up to the altar and said, "Quickly master! Before Juvia wakes up and is no longer able to marry Gray-sama!"

I laughed and pulled her into a hug, "I would wait for you forever, be it you sleeping or are off on an adventure, I will always wait for you. Now master please hurry I want to do this before I strip anymore. Give us the quick version so I can home with the woman I love so very much."

"Oh Gray-sama…" She said looking me in the eyes as I grabbed her hand closest to me and interlocked our fingers, giving her hand a tight squeeze that she returned. "Juvia would for you as well, wait until Gray-sama was ready, wait for Gray-sama if he ever got sick, she would for Gray-sama no matter the distance. Forever and always." The crowd awed, even Lyon who was against it the entire time as he saw that the love of his life was happy, which was more than enough for him. He nodded and smiled at me, his approval for this wedding finally given.

"Well I think we already skipped the preamble part and just had the exchange of the vows, so who has the rings?" Master said and Joi walked up as he spoke and gave us each the other's ring. "Now Gray do you swear to care for Juvia, in sickness and health, and to love her always, and to never leave her side until till death do you part?"

"I do." I said and slid her ring on her ring finger and smiled at her brightly.

"Now Juvia do you swear to care for Gray, in sickness and health, and to love her always, and to never leave her side until till death do you part?" Master asked as he motioned to Juvia.

"I DO! I DO! I DO A MILLION TIMES OVER I DO!" Juvia squealed as she felt the most important part of the wedding, the physical seal of the wedding ready to be done.

"Good, then with the power vested in me by the town of Magnolia and the country of Fiore, I pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride…" Before master could finish the floor directly behind us shot up and I felt strong arms grab me and I felt metal on my neck. Fuck.

(POV Change to Five)

Three and Four shoot up and take the married couple hostage and hold them in place. Meanwhile I sneak around and grab the target and jump up to a makeshift wood plank that Four made. In my loudest voice I say, "Ok! Lisanna Strauss, tell everyone the truth of what happened five years ago! And don't think about lying or playing dumb because the three of us know the truth!" I dangle her entire body over the edge and threaten to drop her before I even hear her speak.

"OK, OK! Just don't hurt Gray or Juvia!" She yelled and looked nervously at everyone before saying. "Ok, five years ago today Natsu attacked Lucy, or so you guys thought. But the truth is… that I did it." Everyone gasped and had open fly holes for flies to fly into, to say they were floored was an understatement, and she continued, "I used my transformation magic to transform into him and then attacked Lucy so I could have him. I found out he and Lucy were secretly seeing each when I caught them almost about to have sex. I was heartbroken and thought that if Lucy was scared of Natsu then she would leave him. But no one was supposed to find out and I would then swear Lucy to secrecy or away from the guild, but NOOOOO! Her damn lion spirit came out and ruin my plan."

"Good girl." I say as we got the full truth out of her. I let go and let her drop to the floor where the Boss then suddenly appeared as if out of thin air, but in reality he was teleported there by Two and her weird type of light magic.

(POV Change to 3rd person)

Everyone stares shocked as a man in red caught Lisanna and looked her in the eyes. Lisanna looked at him and a face of pure joy went across her face. "Nat…" She was all she able to say. The rest of the guild's shock turned into horror as they saw how she had been silenced, their mouths open in silent screams.

Mira was the first to find her voice as she yelled out "NOOOOOOOO!" and the rest of the guild echoed her.

The man stood above Lisanna, his fist through her chest and her still beating heart in his hand. He quickly moved his head up, losing the hood, and everyone absolutely lost it, the person was someone they knew and thought was dead. The man before them was none other than Natsu Dragneel. He burned the heart in his hands and let the ashes fall from his hand, saying, "This was for the five years of hell you put Luce and me through, bitch."

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**A/N: Natsu & Lucy: … Whoa.**

**HAHAHAHA! SURPRISE MOTHER FUCKERS! No one saw that one coming hopefully, and if you did then oh well it was still awesome to write.**

**Natsu: Hey I'm alive! Yahoo!**

… **And Lisanna?**

**Natsu: Eh who cares she was a bitch in this story.**

**Ummm… ok. So yeah one more chapter to go today! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: What the Fuck!

**A/N: The last chapter for today so Enjoy! (Feels the reader's angry eyes on me and runs)**

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(Natsu POV)

I stood with my hand sliding out of Lisanna's chest, the lifeless corpse now lying on the floor. Then Elfman and Mira were charging at me but then TWO Lucy's came out of nowhere and sent them flying. "LUCY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! AND WHY ARE THERE TWO OF YOU?" Laxus asked thoroughly incensed.

I laughed and looked at her, saying, "And you call me impatient, I could have just looked at them and they would have blacked out you know." I look back at Laxus and say, "Shut up Sparky this doesn't concern you yet. Now why did you not wait like we discussed. Oi, Gōsuto get down here so we can start the next phase already, Padre and Madre you too. Set up the arenas!" The couple known as Padre and Madre Naturaleza nodded and put the guild members in cages for the time being and began to build up magical energy and design the arena that I had in mind. I looked around and saw that everyone was ready to kill me but couldn't as they were cages that cancelled magic. "So, any questions? I'm going to answer your guy's until the arena is ready. So ask away."

They all looked at me before finally Master spoke up and asked, "Why my boy? Why?"

I looked at him and felt a vein on my forehead pop and my voice is at a yell, "SO NOW I GET ASKED QUESTIONS? NOW I GET A 'WHY MY BOY'? NOW! NOT FIVE YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS FALSELY ACCUSED OF HURTING MY LUCE? WHERE IS THE FAIRNESS HERE! WHERE?!" I looked at him and saw him look away from me, unable to look at me, so I say much more calmly, "The fact that I was falsely accused and yet never given the chance to say the truth, no I was instead treated like an already convicted felon and chased after like one. Also no one hurts my Luce, no one not even me." I look master in the eye and he looks back in my direction, his eyes never meeting mine however. I sighed and then looked at him, him and his sad, old, little eyes that made me feel nothing but even more rage. I despised this poor excuse of a guild master and felt no pity for his retirement, it has long been over due.

"Ok what else and make it a less obvious question ok." I said as I took a seat on a chair that had been thrown on stage by Mira's failed assault and I looked at the guild members as they looked back at me in fear of what to ask.

Gildarts spoke up next and asked, "Lucy what are you doing? Everyone here thought he assaulted you, including yourself, so why have you helped him in this? And for how long?" Finally a good question that was still easy to answer.

"I knew the whole time there's no way Natsu would ever hurt me, and the eyes were different, they were cold and glossy, they didn't have the fire that burns in my husbands eyes and heart. It was obvious to me." She said as she threw an arm around me, everyone else was in shock. "And I thought what I was doing was obvious. I'm helping him out here. We are married after all and that is what married couples do." She said and gave me a quick kiss on the lips that I hungrily return.

"Gods, how much I missed being able to touch you and feel your warmth. Oh and your bed out here, has that changed, I haven't been here in five years so I wouldn't know. Is there anything else I missed?" I ask as she looks at me and begins to think to herself, lost in her own reverie before I say to everyone else "Any other questions? Ah yes Warrod what is it you want to know?"

"Is that Lucy in the dress a psychic projection or is it the real one?" He asked immediately cutting through our guise, man was he smart.

"It is a psychic projection, sorry for having to stoop to the level of Jellal, or should I say Siegrain? HAHAHA! Never thought we would use that again, huh Jellal? That your ruse you used years ago would come back to haunt you. HAHAHA! Its perfect! Thanks by the way, made all this a lot easier. She was able to be gone months at a time, leaving her projection behind with her keys so that no one would be able to tell who it really was it was the perfect plan." I said as then began to cackle evilly, Lucy smirking and joining me as well.

"Lucy! Is what he says true? Did you leave us so we wouldn't know what you were doing?" Loke asked looking extremely hurt and I felt bad for him.

"Yes. You never would have believed Natsu if he told us the truth so left my keys behind the first time, but you knew where I was after that, or were you lied to? Because we both know you guys can't see everything, you can only see a general location of where I am if I try and summon you, so the first time I left I trained with Paladin trying to master that new type of celestial magic. After that I brought everyone, it was up to the Spirit King whether or not to tell you the truth. Not me, sorry it went down like this I thought you knew the truth behind my sadness. I truly am sorry that you found out like this. Aquarius knew as did Virgo for sure, though she still glares at Natsu every once in a while… but still I must apologize to you. Gomenesai!" She says slightly bowing at him in sincere apology.

He sighed and said, "It may be hard to understand but I more or less understand why I was kept in the dark. It was necessary for your progress and for your sanity and health, wouldn't want me and Natsu fighting all day long while you tried and train. Now can you please let me go back so I can discuss this with the Spirit King?" He asked much more calmly than before and she nodded.

"It's ok Padre, Madre. You can let him out, if he does try anything I can always force him back with my new key…" She say and they nod and let him go.

He looks at me before smiling and saying, "I just wanted you to be happy and if he makes you happy then I have nothing to worry about."

"LOKE! Don't join them! Help us out of these cages!" Gray yelled at him.

He shook his head and said, "Sorry but I follow princess here's desires and if she says to leave then I'll leave, if she asks for help then I'll help, if she asks me to do something and I can do it, then I will do it. She is my master and I am glad she is. I missed this Lucy anyways. The other one created by your negligence was nothing but a shell, and luckily Natsu once more saved her and pulled her out. So I am indebted to him. I'm leaving Lucy so take care. Call me if you need me, Natsu don't blow up half of Magnolia ok? Bye!" He said laughing at the last part as we both smile at him and wave goodbye for the time being. I was glad that situation was resolved and we don't have to worry about him going rogue on us.

"So any other questions, oi! Padre, Madre, how much longer? I don't want to wait all day!" I ask and they look up at me.

"Oh we're ready we were just waiting for you guys to finish, are you ready or do you want more time?" Padre asks and I deadpan at him.

"How long have you been ready for?" I ask.

"Since the spirit was released, we wouldn't have been able to do so if we were still working on the arena as it requires all our attention to gather the power and necessary particles." Madre says as I sigh, they really were obedient people and loyal as well, almost to a fault.

I look back at the guild members and sigh again, and ask "Any other questions and hurry it up I'm already impatient as we all know." I say and begin to cackle at them with everyone else on my team joining in.

"Yes, Lucy and Natsu, how long have you been planning this? How long had you planned on hurting us this way?" Gildarts asks, trying to make me feel guilty towards him and the guild members.

It doesn't work and I simply smirk at him and say, "Well I would say that we met up again after about six or eight months and after apologizing to her and doing other things… we began to plan this and now here we are." I say as I stand up ready to begin the fun part of this plan.

"Hey when did you guys get 'married' if you even really did get married." Laxus asks and I smirk at him

"Yes we did, we got married about three years ago in a far away city called Boa, it was beautiful and was everything I could have wanted. I was so happy!" Lucy answered his question and pulled out her ring as I pulled out mine. We put them on and smiled at each other, happy that we can finally wear them every day and be open about it. It made me happy, and her probably even happier than I was, she always complained about not being able to wear it and now she could no problem. She had already called back her projection when she looked at me and said, "Natsu, we should probably get started on the second part of the plan, come on let's go."

"YOOOOOSSSHHH! I'm all fired up! Padre, Madre begin the arena building!" They nod and begin to mutter words in Spanish as stuff began moving outside. "Ok people here's what's gonna happen, these two are gonna make us an arena, and in that arena there will be five fields and one of us on each field, the game is simple. Defeat us and win, we will surrender ourselves to the council and accept our punishment. However should we win we get to leave in peace and you cannot follow us for a year, at which point you may try again. So choose those who will fight and let the games begin!" I say as people begin volunteering themselves to fight. After everyone who wishes to partake declares so we have Jura, Gildarts, Gray, Juvia, Cana, Elfman, Mira, Erza, Jellal, Gajeel, Laxus, Warrod, Pantherlily, and Wendy. I nod at the choices and say, "Each of you can either choose to fight alone or in groups, just know that your decision on who to fight is final, now I will allow you guys an hour to choose so better get choosing we'll be in the arena waiting" I say as we leave them to decide who will crush them, they don't stand a chance no matter what.

**XXXXXXX**

**A/N: And that's a wrap! This is going to be the halfway point or so of the story so be ready for even more drama and lots of action! I hope you guys are ready cause it will come fast! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Odds

**A/N: Hey there everyone! So yeah yesterday was pretty crazy huh?**

**Natsu & Lucy: I-I-I'm married…**

**Uh yeah why aren't you together in the main series yet huh? (Both blush and look away from me) HAHAHA! Well today is a set up chapter for the week of battles! And who fights who is still kinda up in the air. I have some good ideas but definitely wanna make sure that they are good so don't be afraid to say a fight you wanna see! Shout outs to Ken106348 for the follow, favorite and review (favorite person of the day for me), and to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER, DeeTii, and GrayBlueEyedBelle for their reviews! Now without further ado… Enjoy Chapter 22!**

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(Laxus POV)

I watch as the five who call themselves The Ronin leave and wait until they are gone. Then suddenly as they leave, so do the cages and a wall goes up around the church, trapping us yet again, forcing us to actually plan this out. I look around and see everyone else still looking at Lisanna in shock, still unable to process what had just occurred. 'Was that really Natsu? No way, there's no way he would kill Lisanna, right? Well she did hurt Lucy really badly and they are married now. Natsu. Married. Ha. What a weird idea, seems almost impossible, but he really has grown up. Grown into a cold, hardened killer that is, and I will stop him. Yes, it must be me, the future master of Fairy Tail.'

I am broken out of my reverie by gramps saying, "I will fight Natsu, only I will."

"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled, me included as I looked at him in disbelief, saying, "Jiji, you're way too old to do it, he will kill you, he's not that little boy that you took in all those years ago, he's a hardened killer. You heard Jura, he's the Boss of The Ronin. Hell's Judge for fucks sake! He is known for burning those who earn his ire ALIVE! And you and I know you have earned his ire, in a very big way." As I finish my rant I look and see a look I have rarely seen, anger and a new level of seriousness.

"YES. I know. He sees me as his enemy and he yes I know his new reputation, but as the master for today I must avenge our fallen member. He is my enemy and I will defeat him. I will use THAT spell…" My eyes widen at his words and look at him like he was truly crazy.

"NO! You can't use THAT spell. In you old age it will kill you!" I yell and everyone looks extremely concerned, as I continue my protest, "Besides, you have to see the person you cast the spell against as a true enemy, or else it won't work, trust me I tried that and all I was able to do was blind them for a minute before they looked at me like I just decided to put on a light show in the middle of a battle. You will have wasted your chance and he WILL kill you."

"I KNOW! And I do see him that way now." He said as I look at him eyes wide as the moon. "I see Natsu Dragneel as an enemy. And I will use Fairy Law to defeat him."

"Are you sure you see him like that?" I ask skeptical.

"Yes." He said, eyes determined and jaw set, yeah he did and I was now worried, he could and probably would die either way from using that spell. And then I would be the master, which I have always wanted but was not expecting to be without him as my advisor, I wanted him to be there for me and help me out. Now I was faced with him most likely dying and leaving me… No I would not let that happen.

"Jiji, let me fight with you! The two of us together might be enough to take him down!" I say looking at him with pleading eyes. "This way you won't have to fight him by yourself and most likely die from it."

"No it must be me. Laxus you may come and join me in case it fails and then you may fight him. But I must fight him on my own, to make up for my failure as master before this, I have done a lot wrong as master but today I will make things right!"

I look and can do nothing but nod at him, understanding his point and hoping he was right. "I'm going with you guys as well. I want my chance at Salamander and will do anything for it. You both have no clue how strong he really is, nobody does, so the more the merrier." Gajeel says surprising us as we turn and look at him.

"We'll go too, he killed Lisanna and we can't let that go. As long as we see him go down we will be ok I think." Mira said Elfman nodding his agreement.

"Ok, what about Lucy? She is still ridiculously strong too you know." Gildarts said as we all looked his way. "I will fight her but I don't know if I'll be enough…"

"Juvia and Gray-sama will fight with you! She helped ruin Juvia's wedding and was Juvia's maid of honor! I will never forgive her!" Juvia yelled as Gray looked disinterested but nodded his agreement. "Will anyone join us?"

"I must fight the one known as Padre." Warrod said as everyone looked at him confused. "The reason is… I was the one that helped trained him, a very long time ago."

"WHAT?!" They all said and looked at him confused.

"Yes, it was about 8 years ago when I left him, where I was for 10 years. I was contacted by a country that was having there land turned into a dessert, and they asked me to come and try and stop it's progress. I agreed and went to help. I arrived in a small town and that's where I met him, and Madre…"

_FLASHBACK (WARROD POV, 18 years ago)_

_I walk into a small town call La Empieza, and ask for the mayor so I know where I can set up my house. As I walk around, not knowing the language all too well, and see a kid who is not exactly like the others. He has slightly lighter skin and is doing something remarkable, he is manipulating the elements around him, the rocks, plants, sand, dirt, anything but only able to move them slightly. I had heard of this magic, the magic known as the father of the earth, the ability to control the elements around you. And with him was a girl, and she was CREATING elements, I was floored, not only was there a person with the ability to use father of the earth, but one who could use mother of the earth, or create any element they so desired. I simply gawked at them before I regained my composure and asked the two, "Hey where are your parents?" _

_I was about to make a charade like motion about parents when to my surprise, the girl answered, "We're not related, and we're both orphans. We live out here by ourselves." Her Japanese was broken and not very good, but it was understandable._

"_Oh, ummm where is the mayor's office?" I asked a little sad for them. _

"_Over there, the big one." The boy said in the same Japanese as the little girl, it was shocking to say the least._

"_Ok, thank you! Hey would you two like to come and eat with me?" I asked as their faces lit up at the mention of food but they seemed apprehensive about the offer, "I just want to get to know you, I won't hurt you. I promise." They looked at me and then at each other before they nodded and we went on our merry way._

_END FLASHBACK (POV Change to Laxus)_

"After that I took care of them and trained them but really grew close to Padre. But he I did not call him Padre. His real name is Esoj Aneron, and the woman is named Nena, well I guess Nena Aneron now. I finished my work ten years ago however and have not heard about them since about five years ago. I would have heard more obviously, but they left their homeland and came here, for what reason I do not know. Also I left them when they were eighteen and they still went by there real names. I thought something happened to them but clearly I was wrong, they just changed their names so that I could not find them or anyone for that matter. Seeing as this is the case, I must fight him as I helped create the man that has attacked us here. I will defeat him!" He said and we all looked at him and knew he would be enough.

"I agree, you could defeat him actually, but the chances of everyone else… is not quite as good. But still this is our only chance." Mavis said as she somehow appeared before us. "I have numerous calculations and- and…" She looked away and bit her lip, not wanting to depress us, but we needed to know.

"Please, Mavis tell us the odds, we have to know just how bad it looks for us. We should know that before we go and put our lives on the line." Gramps said, surprising me by nit calling her First or First Master, just Mavis.

"Well I would put the odds of you surviving at around ten percent, and of you succeeding at around twenty five percent. The group taking on Lucy, should do just fine as long as Cana goes as well. I give them a ninety percent chance of success barring any surprises of course. Warrod you are about fifty percent, the same as Laxus and Gajeel. But be warned I can only guess their power, Mira and Elfman do not fight with Natsu or else he will crush you like bugs. Now I have a plan that should work but I am going to need every to listen closely for it to work. And I mean very closely, like missing even a single detail will cause the plan to fail and many of you will die. So please pay attention and don't be afraid to back to out, it's not worth dying for no reason other than to be brave, so if any one so wishes to do so, please speak now!" she said and looked at everyone.

"I will withdraw, Gajeel I hope you understand but some one must protect Levy and Joi if you are to die." Pantherlily said and Gajeel nodded his agreement and thanks for his friend's consideration.

"Is that all or what?" Mavis asked.

"Yes and we will join as the fighters as well." Said Cobra, who was standing next to Richard and Lyon, who looked ready and determined to fight with us.

"Hmmm ok. That actually helps us. Ok so are we ready to begin? Good now here's what were gonna do." She began as I feel the spirits of everyone rising as we heard the Fairy Strategist began to plot.

(POV Change to Natsu)

"Ugh, I hate waiting, why did I give them an hour?" I whined as Lucy then came and smacked me upside the head, "OW! What was that for?" I yelled annoyed now and got up to pout at her.

"Stop being so impatient! Baka! We agreed that an hour was needed to fully set up the arena!" She yelled and sighed, "It's been about fifty nine minutes so just got to your field and wait ok?" She placed a chaste kiss on my cheek, which was not enough as pulled her back before she left.

"Come back to me, ok?" I asked.

"Always, always." She said and we broke apart as we headed to our individual field. I hoped this wouldn't take too long, because I really wanted to be with my wife again, and stay with her forever this time.

**XXXXXXX  
><strong>

**A/N: Awww! That ending! But still can they really stop them? Or will Natsu and company win? Wait for the first fight, Gōsuto versus… I still am a bit iffy on who he should fight so let me know if you have any ideas! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: What a Waste

**A/N: The week of battles begins! There will only be fights so be ready for some action! BUT BE WARNED! SOME GUILD MEMBER WILL DIE! I'll put the over under at three and let you guys guess if it's over or under. So without further ado…**

**Natsu: Oi, when's my fight?! Today?**

**No, not today. Now leave.**

**Lucy: And what about me?  
>No! It's Gōsuto today now both of you leave or else!<strong>

**Both: Or else what? **

**I'll write your lemon right now and post that instead! (Both blush as red as Erza's hair and leave before I do it) Ha, idiots. The lemon is gonna happen after the fights no matter what. They're just delaying the inevitable. So now Enjoy! Chapter 23!**

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(Erza POV)

We finish hearing the plan and look to see the walls receding, 'Huh? Oh so it's time to go? Well I'm ready now.' I look to my group of Jellal and Wendy and we nod at each other before heading off. "Remember don't stray from the plan too much or else! Good luck everyone!" Mavis says as all the fighters run to exit the church and immediately find the arena. It was huge and probably took out a couple of buildings since it was built quite literally ten feet from the church. I look at the arena and five entrances, and see the names above each one: Gōsuto, Madre, Padre, Lucy, and Natsu. My eyes linger on Lucy's as I watch Cana, Gildarts, Juvia, and Gray run in there, I wanted my revenge on her but that would either have to wait or simply be left unfulfilled.

I feel Jellal's hand on my shoulder and he says, "Come on. The faster we finish him, the faster we can get to Lucy, and the faster you get your revenge." I looked at him and nodded, turning to the door that said 'Gōsuto' on it, and run with Jellal to it.

"Wendy come on, let's go! Remember the plan!" She nods and follows us, and I begin to get ready for the battle, 'Remember you and Jellal are the actual fighters, Wendy is our support so we can't let her get hurt. We must ensure she is able to heal everyone who gets hurt. OK! I'm ready for this!' I stop preparing myself mentally as I look at the room we just entered and curse to myself. 'Crap! This field has a bunch of things that are creating shadows in it, this is right to his advantage.' "Jellal destroy the trees! We can't let him have too many shadows! Wendy help him!" I requip into my Adamantine armor and yell out, "COME AND FIGHT ME! Where are you…" I look around and don't see him anywhere and begin to wonder if he is even in here, and if this whole thing wasn't some sort of ruse.

That thought is immediately erased as suddenly I see him pop out of nowhere right in front of me, his fist hitting my face causing me to fly back and hit Jellal who was destroying trees behind me. "OOOF! Wha… Erza! Did he already start fighting? Where is he?" He asked as he helped me up and I looked around and couldn't see him anywhere. "His magic is already annoying me, hey where's Wendy?"

I look at him in shock and say, "I thought she was with you!" We look at each other concerned before looking feverishly for her. I spot her, not too far away blowing up some trees and not in any harm, and I call to her, "WENDY! Come here! We shouldn't split up like that, it will make it easier for him to pick us off."

She then runs over and as she arrives, Gōsuto appears and looks at us, before saying, "So decided to stick together, huh? Well that makes this easier, and oh. What do we have here, the little bluenette! Remember me? Probably not, since you never saw my face but I remember you! I nailed you to the tree, remember me now? KEKEKEKE!" He starts cackling as I look to Wendy and see her reaction was just what he wanted.

She began to tremble at the memory and looks at herself before she falls to her knees before curling up into a ball and crying, the memory still fresh in her mind and the signs of a now obvious PTSD showing themselves. "WENDY! IT'S OK! WE WON'T LET HIM HURT YOU! NOW GET UP, PLEASE! WE NEED YOUR HELP!" All I got was more sobs and a cackle from Gōsuto.

"Please, like you helped her last time? HA! We had her for a full week and you didn't even come close to finding her! And now you promise that you'll stop me from hurting her? Pathetic, empty promises as usual. Sign of weakness if you ask me. Now let us dance." He taunted at us and was quickly upon us, and landed in between Jellal and me. I barely have enough time to bring up my forearm to stop his kick, but Jellal isn't fast enough to stop his uppercut as it connects with his jaw, sending him up in the air. He doesn't go very far as Gōsuto grabs his ankle and spins him around once before throwing him at me, my only option being to catch him. As I catch him Gōsuto charges in and punches me in the face sending me falling backwards. I catch myself and quickly retreat with Jellal who was now standing again.

"Damn, he's fast, I'll have to start using some serious magic pretty soon. Erza I need you get up close and personal so I can launch my attack with some range, can you do that and hold him at bay?" Jellal asks me as he begins to look around for him.

"Yeah of course, how long do you need?" I ask as I look around and see him charging, "Never mind, just back up and get ready!" I requip into my Flight armor, and charge at him with even more speed than he could believe, and I begin slashing at him. He has to continuously dodge and I feel myself gaining ground on him, I begin to attack as fast as possible and finally land a hit on him. I grazed his shoulder and jumps back but is in no obvious pain, and he simply smirks at me before he charges at me instead.

However before he reaches me, Jellal yells, "Heavenly Blast!" he pulls his arm back and point his index finger and middle finger at Gōsuto and a sphere of heavenly magic goes and attacks him.

Gōsuto simply stands upright before yelling, "Shadow Sphere!" A ball of shadows form around him, the source being the shadows around him and then he disappears as the magic just hits the ground.

"Damn! Where did he go?" Jellal says as comes up next to me. "What was that anyways, where did he get the shadow from?"

"From the stuff around him, he used their shadows and created the sphere." As I was finishing, Gōsuto suddenly popped out of nowhere and grabbed me by the elbow and threw me into Jellal.

"Shadow Beam!" He yelled as he put his hand right in my face, but in my current armor, it increasing my speed to the max, I was able to push his hand away and send the blast up to the ceiling. I use his awkward position to land a clean hit on his gut, hitting and slicing righting above his navel. The cut isn't deep however as he was able to move a little bit out of the way. Then Jellal comes flying at him with a hand coated in his heavenly magic and moves to punch him in the face. He snorts at this and catches the punch with his hand and the magic in Jellal's hand simply disappears. He then uses the fact that he still has Jellal's hand and lifts him high above his head and throws him down into the ground, literally into the ground as a crater appears from the impact.

"Jellal! Are you ok?" I ask as I jump into the crater.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Man we need to destroy the stuff that can make a shadow completely!" He said as I nod, that was the source of his magic so that really needed to be taken care of. "Erza I have a spell that could do it, but I'm going to need time to perform it, buy me a couple minutes, OK?"

"Yes, you do what needs to be done, I'll handle him for now." I reply as nods and jumps high into and begins to form a seal I know to be his True Heavenly Body Magic: Sema spell. I look around and find Gōsuto already in my face and he lands a clean blow to my jaw, sending me flying towards the end of the crater. He beats me there however and catches me and spins me and sends me flying upward. I requip into my Black Wing armor and stop myself, then I fly down at him and surprise him with the aerial attack as he can only block my sword by using his forearm to stop mine before my sword can slash down at him.

He pushes me back and jumps back himself and yells, "Shadow Chaser!" He then sends a shadow after me and I can't move fast enough as it catches me and throws me at the ground, and like before he is there to catch me. This time however I expect it and send my sword right where he is and he is forced to dodge and move backward, barely avoiding the sword, as I requip another sword. I chase after him, picking up the first sword and swinging both of them at him now, my swords chasing after the other. I land a clean hit to his other shoulder and one to his forearm, before trying to finish the combo with an x-cut to his stomach. However he steps inside of my swords, his palm facing my chest, and says coldly, "Shadow Beam." His attack hits me head on and might have killed me in regular armor, but I had requiped into my Giant's armor and it absorbed the damage and only managed to push me back.

"It's ready, move Erza!" Jellal yells as he then comes down as we both take cover in the crater, my giant's armor shielding us as his attack comes down and destroys everything in the room that is not human.

As soon as the attack ends, we get up and look around and see nothing standing anymore, everything now obliterated, we look for Gōsuto and don't see him. "Did-did you kill him?" I ask hesitantly.

"I don't think I put THAT much power behind it, but who knows?" He says as I relax a bit and being to process what was happening.

"WAIT! If he's not here then that means, we won! We did it Jellal!" I say as I hug him and start looking for Wendy so we leave.

I hear a amused voice and looked to see who was the voice, and I see it's owner, it's Gōsuto, saying, "You didn't win shit yet. I haven't used my full power yet. Surprised? KEKEKEKEKE!" He said and we just looked at him dumbfounded, not only was he still very much alive but he was barely even tired yet. "Here let me show you what full power is like. Shadow, Limit Release!" He yelled as his body color grew darker, and his eyes turned fully black, he looked extremely creepy and did not look human anymore. He looked more like a demon.

(POV Change to Gōsuto)

"Surprised?" I ask and then laugh evilly.

"Get ready! He can't use anymore shadows, he wont be able to disappear on us anymore!" The man said.

I laughed maniacally and then did just that, disappear. These idiots don't know shit about my magic.

(Back to Erza)

"WHAT! BUT YOU DESTROYED THE STUFF CREATING THE SHADOWS!" I looked around frantically and that's when I see it, the shadows are STILL ON THE GROUND! "Fuck! Look the shadows are still here, they didn't go away when we destroyed them!"

"Shit, this is bad!" Jellal said.

"Yes, yes it is bad… for you at least." Gōsuto said as he appeared between us and grabbed us by the throat, his grip stronger than a steel vice grip and cutting of our breathing. "You see my magic is called THE ABYSS. I can control the shadows and become a shadow demon is necessary, once I use a shadow it doesn't leave unless I say so, and I use a them to help create a second dimension, a dimension that I control by myself and only myself. The only thing in there is me, and that's where I can also send magic into if I use my hand to do it. But that's enough about me, and don't worry, even if you used your Nakagami armor it wouldn't have mattered, my magic can't be stopped. They tried already. KEKEKE!" His laugh was the last thing we heard before he bashed our heads together, and added to the lack of air, we black out. Losing our battle and letting the others down.

(POV Change to Gōsuto)

I look at the two mages and shake my head, turning and seeing the third one still curled up in a ball and not moving, "Tch. What a waste of my time. An utter waste really. I only went at full power for thirty seconds and they both folded like paper. How weak and sad." I sigh and turn to leave the field utterly disappointed and shaking my head. The Titania of Fairy Tail and it's resident, former council member were no match for the Ghost Demon.

(POV Change to Mavis)

I watch as the scoreboard, that was lowered, for us to see how it went lit up. The point going to the Ronin, with Gōsuto underneath the word winner. "WHAT?! Erza lost already? That only took fifteen minutes! This isn't part of the plan!" I yelled as my heart sank, with Erza gone the plan was already in shambles.

**XXXXXXX **

**A/N: Score is now Ronin 1 – Fairy Tail 0. What a battle though! It was a little one sided but hey what did you expect, he can control a shadow dimension and is part demon! Hope you liked the explanation of his powers, I know I had fun making it up! Sorry to everyone who wanted to see Erza and Lucy have a rematch but there was no way she would have won, she's still way too weak compared to Lucy. Well Tomorrow will be Madre's battle and all these battles are taking place simultaneously so they do not know what is happening elsewhere. I hope you guys liked it and PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Mother Nature

**A/N Aiieee! Three reviews and a new follower! Review shout-out to Ken106328 and sashaXmafuyuFOREVER and the follow shout out to WeirdRoseAmy! Now onto the next battle!**

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Start of Battles (Jura POV)

I look and see everyone running to the doors and I do not match their speed or enthusiasm, not that I don't want to fight but running out there and wasting energy is not wise. I slowly walk out with my partner Lyon and we make way to the arena, the walk not very far as it's only 10 feet away. "You ready old man? Or you need a minute to stretch?" Lyon asks sarcastically, but I don't smile or laugh at his joke, I know how serious this battle would be and I was very focused on it. "Hey old man, you alright? We got this in the bag! They got nothing on us!"

"Shut up. We must prepare for this battle very seriously. This opponent makes me uneasy, I'm not sure if we'll be enough. They are an unknown but had the ghost woman very nervous, according to Laxus at least. We should be ready for anything." I said and looked ahead and see our door, number four with the name Madre above it. "Let's go." As we walk into the arena I begin to relax my muscles and prepare for anything as I have never heard of her magic before. 'Mother of nature?' I wondered as my bro furrowed in confusion, 'what are the limitations of this magic and how does it really work? Well I'll find out soon enough, because here we go!' I walk into an open field and look to the center where I see the woman known as Madre fully for once and squint my eyes to get a better look at her. "Wait I remember you! We fought out in that one town up north! What was it…"

"Huh? Oh wait! The first person I fought when I got here! Ummm baldie beard right? We fought in…" She said.

"Wasureru! Yeah but that wasn't really a fight, we just kinda yelled at each other for half an hour before she smacked me in the face and walked away. Bitch. I told you I didn't know anyone called Padre Naturaleza!" I said as I shifted uncomfortably, she looked way to calm to me and unnerved me somewhat.

"Eh, whatever I found him obviously, so you ready to fight for real yet?" She asked totally disregarding Lyon.

"Oi, I'm here to fight you too! Don't underestimate me! Ice-Make: Lance!" Lyon yelled and shot his magic at her, I groaned at his stupidity.

"Fuego del Diablo!" She yelled as fire shot out from her hand and she melted the ice. "Really, was that it? Oi Baldie give me a minute, I'll just deal with him real quick. Tierra Firme!" she said as she threw her hand up and caused the ground below Lyon to shoot up and send him flying.

I groan as I have to save him again. "Talus!" I yelled and pillars of earth shoot out and surround Lyon protecting him from the attack and from falling down from the flight. He lands with a thud and charges her again, "Lyon, wait!"

He yells, "Ice-Make: Eagle!" He yelled as eagles attacked her and he follows up with "Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!" As a tiger appeared and followed the eagles.

The attacks land and an explosion occurs, I watch with anticipation. I see the smoke clear and she is nowhere to be found and I smirk, saying, "Nicely done Lyon! I really overestimated her! Well that was easy, let's go help Makarov-dono!" I was filled with a new hope for some odd reason.

"They weren't supposed to explode…" Lyon said and I look back in shock before realizing what that meant, my hopes being dampened quite a bit.

"Oh shit" I said quietly.

"Shit indeed." Madre said as she appeared from above him and said, "Pierdas Calientes!" Hot lava shot out of her hand and landed on Lyon, my heart sinking at the sight.

'Shit! Obaba will kill me if he dies! So will Sherry! Especially Sherry! SHIT!' "Rock Mountain!" I yell as I look and see Lyon covered in rocks and brought over to me. The rocks leave his body and have taken the lava with them, but it was a bit late as he is burned badly. He won't die but he will be badly scarred and never be the same mentally again. 'Shit. Poor Lyon, he really is going to be sad about this. I need to move him and get away from here.'

I call up an earth tunnel and deposit him inside, but before he is fully inside he grabs my arm and says, "Old man, you better win this for me, don't fuck this up like I did, she can only use her magic in close to medium range really. Don't get close unless you're armored up. She will try to kill you, so I hope you will do the same." I look solemnly at him and continue lowering him into the tunnel. He looks at me and says, "Don't worry about me, I'll live. Now go and get her back for me ok? I can't right now, I can feel the burns, Sherry won't be happy, and we finally had a date scheduled for when I got back. Oh shit. I'm so fucked. Hahaha." He says chuckling weakly, as he fully enters the tunnel and I turn my attention to Madre.

I was now thoroughly incensed about what she did, and I let the magic flow from my body, causing rocks to crack around me. "Ooooh, scary. Well now that the kids are gone the fun can begin, let us dance. Tierra Firme!" She begins her assault and tries to get me into air.

I dodge and yell, "Iron Rock Fist!" A fist of rock extends from my fist and goes towards her, and she dodges it and comes back at me, both her fists now coated in iron. She begin to throw punches at me at a surprising speed considering he fists were literally iron now. I continue to dodge her and eventually feel my back nearing the wall, 'Shit! She's cornering me. I'm going to have use my new technique.' "Iron Rock Shell!" I yell as rock surrounds me and creates a body of light rock armor, I had been working on this for three years now and it finally gets to see some action. She sees this and morphs the iron on her hands into knives and it resembles brass knuckles. She continues her assault as the helmet of my armor appears and I get as close as possible to her and begin my counterattack. We trade blows and we each begin to land some hits on each other. If I landed one on her stomach I got one to my side and so on and so forth, as the iron and rock only add to the damage as eventually pull back, and I realize she's barely broken a sweat, while I have begin to sweat a bit. Damn she has some seriously good resistance to that body of hers. I catch my breath, or at least try but suddenly she's on me, grabbing a hold of my beard, and pulling it and uses it to pick me up off the ground and send me flying into the opposite wall. 'Damn! She's still that fast! And that strong, just what is she?' I pull myself free of the wall and see her charging at me, as I yell "Iron Rock Spikes!" Spikes appear before me and she is unable to reach me, as I catch my breath.

"Tierra Suave!" She yells as the ground and the spikes on them turn to mud and she follows this up by yelling, "Fuego del Diablo!"

Fire shoots from her hand and the ground dries up and I have to yell, "Iron Rock Mountain!" As a mountain of rocks shoot up and cover me before the fire disappears and I charge at her and we trade blows again, this time I land a clean hit to her jaw and send her back a bit and follow it up with an uppercut that sends her up into the air and I follow her and send her crashing into the ground.

A crater is there but she is already up and charging at me as we continue our exchange of fists, this time she gets the clean hit to my gut and grabs my beard again and sends me up into the air and yells, "Pistola de Fierro! Pistola de Aceite! Pistola de Agua!" Balls of iron, oil, and water shoot up at me and hit my armor and chip away at it, before finally it breaks apart and the attacks hit my back and I feel the pain of the attacks as my back starts to get cut up a bit, and worse.

I feel one ball of iron hit my spine and it cracks a vertebrae, feeling the pain I howl loudly. I finally land and yell, "Iron Rock Mountain!" and I immediately see the rock cover me. As I writhe on the floor in pain I think to myself, 'Crap this is bad. I think she broke that vertebrae and if that's the case I won't be able to fight much longer, I will need to end this quickly. I could use THAT technique but it's risk, even with my great endurance I could lose my magical power before I finish her off. And I have no clue if she'll kill me or not when I black out, ahhhhh! What to do?' I then remember what she did to Lyon and my resolves goes rock hard, 'Yes I must use it. I must win in the ten minutes it will give me, and that's all I will get here. Already used a lot of magic today, ten minutes is all I can hope for.' I stand wearily and ready myself. I then see the mountain start to shake and crumble. 'Shit. She's about to break through, no time to waste then. "Supreme King Rock Crusher!" I yell and the mountain sweeps away from me and surrounds her and encases her in rocks, then crushes her inside of them, but when the rocks are crushed instead of her being hurt she simply lands on her feet and cracks her neck and takes a fighting stance, motioning me to attack her.

I look and at her and smirk and yell, "Iron Rock: Body Change!" I feel the bones of my body harden and see the look on her face go from smug to confuse as she watches my body turn into rocks.

(POV Change to Madre/Nena)

'What in the world was this? He could turn his body into rock? He looks like a golem if anything; he definitely doesn't look human anymore. Oh well, his body is harder now, not any stronger. I'll just have to crush him soundly and erode the rock away.'

(POV Change to Jura)

"Iron Rock Fist!" I yell and the rock fist extends from my arm and attacks her as I begin to move towards her, my body not slowed down by the rock bones much. 'But I am slower, I'll have to keep this battle close up, which is our expertise.'

I see as she dodges the fist and closes the gap and comes right up to my face and yells, "Lluvia de dos mil días!" and rain begins to pour down in the room, which she follows up with "Pistola de Tierra Suave!". Mud comes and covers me and as it begins to really cover me from head to toe she yells, "Fuego del Diablo!" and fire shoots out at me and I cover my face but realize she only intended to dry the mud and keep me in place. Two minutes gone, eight to go.

I flex my arms and rip through the dry mud and charge at her, yelling "Iron Rock Wall!" A wall shoots up behind her and is angled at her back, shooting her up. She is sent flying towards me and I continue to charge, but with my arm out in a close line, which she flies into and I throw her into the ground as she arrives into my arm. Three minutes passed.

She gets up and yells, "Pierdas Calientes!" and lava shoots out from her hands. I block with my arms but realize that she only used that to get my guard up and she hits me in the gut with her iron-coated fists. I am pushed back by the strength of her blow but stay standing as my rock body stopped the majority of the attack, but I still feel the force of her punch. She the yells, "Nieve de Temósachi!" as snow then covers me but is melted away by the rain that is still falling. Four minutes have passed.

'Crap, this rain is bad for my earth magic, I need to find a way to either dispel it or knock her out.' "Rock Wall! Continous!" I yell and rock walls begin to form and stop when I yell, "Rock Avalanche!" The rock walls crumble and the are sent at her and hit her, and continue do so until I yell, "Iron Rock Powder Explosion!", and new rocks shoot up and hit her in the shoulder and leg, all on her left side as she was able to dodge the majority of the attack. I watch as she falls to the ground and I feel the sweat building up on my brow and my energy starting to wane. 'Fuck. I need to end this quick.' Five minutes have passed, the time limits half way up I really need to hurry!

"Pistola de Agua, Francotirador!" She yells and instead of the ball of water that shoots out, a long and slender, almost bullet like, projectiles are shot at me, albeit at a much slower rate.

They land indiscriminately and I wonder, 'What's the point? My rock body can absorb all of this. Wait! I get it now! The rain, the attacks meant to keep me in place, it all makes sense now! She's trying to erode the rock body I have and get the rocks off of me! That's why the water is just hitting me instead of having a true target! I have to stop her now!'

I see that there are still enough rocks around and I attack yelling, "Supreme King Rock Crusher!", and she is again crushed by my rocks. This time she is a bit more visibly tired and takes her time getting up, but she still gets up. 'Damn she has more endurance than I do! She's tough I better hurry and use my last attacking technique.' Six minutes have passed, no time to waste.

I charge and get close to her and punch her into the ground, and I yell, "RUMBLING MT. FUJI!" The ground shoots up and an immense amount of magical energy is released, destroying the ground and, hopefully, her as well. I wait as the smoke from the attack clears and I see no one there, at the bottom of the crater. "Yes! I did it!" I yell uncharacteristically but well deserved given the situation and the severity of the battle. 'This was for you Lyon, I hope you know that. This is the power of nakama! Now to go and help Makarov-dono' I turn around and begin to walk away, limping a bit as the adrenaline of the battle begins to wear off.

"No, you didn't, Baldie." I hear these words and my body freezes in place. Seven minutes have passed and I know I can finish this. "You should never turn your back on an opponent. Especially one that is stronger than you. Fufufufu!"

(POV Change to Madre/Nena)

'Almost did though. If I hadn't sent myself flying right when the attack was launched I would have been crushed, killed even. Boy that was close, I will finish him now so he can't try that again.' "Lets dance Baldie!"

I turn to look at her and gawk as she is barely even scratched, 'WHAT! THAT WAS MY STRONGEST ATTACK! HOW COULD SHE BARELY HAVE TAKEN ANY DAMAGE?!' I am broken out of my reverie as she is suddenly on top of me and using her iron-coated fists, crushes me into the ground. I blink a couple of times and wonder, 'Did she get faster? How did she get faster?' I get up and get out of the crater she created by crushing me into the ground and that's when I feel it. The rocks have begun to fall off of my body and the pain of having rock bones become normal bones begins to set in. 'SHIT! NO I SHOULD HAVE MORE TIME! DID I REALLY USE THAT MUCH MAGIC AND TAKE THAT MUCH DAMAGE?'.

I howl in pain and she notices, using this to her advantage as she charges and using her iron-coated fists punches me, sending me flying into another wall and follows up with another punch and an uppercut followed by a hammer blow to my head. I crash into the ground and a massive crater is formed by it. I try and get up but lose my balance and fall over on my back and howl in pain since one of my vertebrae, er more now, are broken. 'Damn this is going to be a long recovery from this.' I say and look up and see her right above me.

"Gracias Baldie, you gave me the best fight I have had in over ten years! You really were a worthy adversary! Sadly for you, you still didn't get my full power, only about ninety percent." She said and I feel my heart sink.

I thought to myself, 'Damn only ninety! She completely outclassed me and she went at ninety. Lyon, Makarov-dono, Richard, and Laxus, I'm sorry. I lost.' That was the last thing I thought about before her fist of iron came and hit me square in the face, breaking my nose and my pride as I blacked out.

(POV Change to Madre/Nena)

I walk out of the crater, one of several that we made, and make my way to the exit to join whoever else has won. "Man, that was fun! Too bad he wasn't strong enough to make me go all out. One day, hopefully soon, we'll meet and you'll be stronger, and then we can BOTH go all out. Then you'll see the true strength of the woman known as Mother Nature." I look back one more time and sigh, wondering how Father Nature as the English speakers call him. 'Mother and Father Nature, what fitting names.'

(POV Change to Mavis)

I watch hoping that Jura could pull it off and we could hopefully reinforce the ones fighting Natsu. My hopes are dashed as I see the scoreboard light up and another point going to Ronin, it saying: Winner-Madre. We are doomed.

**XXXXXXX**

**A/N: Score is now Ronin 2 – Fairy Tail 0. Oh shit though, that battle was nice! It was back and forth and not even I was sure who would win… Just kidding, I knew. And hey know that only Madre's, an OC, and Jura's two moves that put rock on his body were not moves that Hiro has put in the story, the rest were Jura and Lyon's actual moves! And yes I did look them up, no way I could recall those from memory I'm not THAT obsessed, but yes I made sure their moves were real moves. And also, no deaths yet! So, will we go under or somehow over the three person death over/under? Tell me what you guys think and I be ready for a battle that is mainly Warrod vs. Padre/Esoj! It will be just as epic as this fight was! At least I hope so. Won't promise anything since it could easily be broken. SO PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: The Sensei-Student Relationship

**A/N: Whoo! Last chapter was one of my favorites for sure and thanks to brucie86, sashaXmafuyuFOREVER, and ken106348 for their reviews and to klm1095 for following and favoriting my story! Now onto battle number 3! Enjoy!**

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Start of Battles (Warrod POV)

As soon as the walls are down I bolt out and head for the arena, not running very far to get there but still running towards the door in the middle with a three above it, and the name Padre there as well. "Warrod wait up. In the name of Love!" Richard yells but I ignore him and continue running with both Richard and Cobra behind me.

I finally enter the field and see it will be to both our advantages, as it has many different elements inside and, more specifically, more than enough plants to help my magic. I see a man standing there in the middle, eyes unreadable and a scar running down his face, a beard fully adorning his chin and jaw line. "Is that really you Esoj?" I ask my voice not having the usual playful tone to it, and I see him glare back at me.

His glare dissolves into a smug look and he smirks at me, saying, "The name's Padre now, but I'll let you call me that, Warrod-_senpai_. Kikiki!"

He begins doing his weird laugh and I look at like he's an idiot as I face palm, saying, "Gods, I taught you how to do so much and yet forgot to teach you how to laugh, ugh. It's hahaha, not kikikiki! Weirdo." I say, smirking at the last part as he pouts at me.

"Hey don't make fun of me more senpai, you already did enough of that for ten years. Please don't continue now. And oooh new guests! Welcome!" He said as Cobra and Richard enter the field.

"Damn old man for being one hundred twenty something you're really fast. One sec." He says as he begins to wheeze, already out of breath as is Richard.

"…Really senpai these two are supposed to help?" He asks mockingly as he cracks his neck.

'These two will get in the way, I need to fight Esoj unimpeded. Only one thing to do.' "Green Sleep Powder!" I yell and powder comes from my hand and lands on Richard and Cobra.

"Oi, what the he-he-hell…" Cobra began to say but was promptly knocked out by the powder as was Richard, and I turned and looked Esoj, ready to fight now.

(POV Change to Mavis)

"Oi, Mavis, Warrod's going off the plan. He knocked out his two companions. He intends to fight the boy alone." Yury said as he suddenly appeared before me but was still invisible to the rest, only Warrod, Precht and I could see him, the same going for Precht. I didn't want too many people seeing more than one ghost and Precht being a bad memory for many of them.

'Wait what did he just say, Warrod doing what…' "HE DID WHAT?!" I yelled and then made myself invisible for a moment so I could talk to Yury in peace and quiet. "He did what?!" I ask quieter as I saw that he was rubbing his temples from the pain my yelling caused him, this happened quite a bit when we were alive as well.

"Yeesh, yell louder next time. Don't actually do that I was being sarcastic. But yeah he used his sleep powder and knocked them out, he really wants to fight this kid on his own. I mean c'mon its Warrod we're talking about here, there's no way he would do something too stupid right?" He asked hopefully meaning he wanted me to give him a number.

"His odds of survival dropped thirty percent by doing that" I said and he looked shocked, and I had very little hopes that they would go back up.

(POV Change back to Warrod)

"Now that it's just the two of us let me ask you something, when did you stray off the path I set for you and begin this path of certain death? Because that is what you are doing, I know who you guys want to kill, that's why you guys are interested in Historie, and you guys plan to kill Zeref, right?" I asked as he looked at me, eyes serious now.

"Yes we do, he destroyed my home town while Nena and I were away training. This is for revenge for the good people of La Empieza and for my failure to protect them like I promised I would. I must do this and would have found a way to do it just me and Nena, this I swear, but we met up with Natsu a year ago after I had been looking for him to hear his story for four years. We met this day a year ago, the anniversary of his unjust and undeserved indictment of the crime he never committed. Today all wrongs will be righted." He said and charged at me, turning his fist into fire as I begin to dodge.

'Damn, I need to keep my distance for now.' "Green Cannon!" I yell and fire an unknown plant at him and he's hit by it, forced back a bit in surprise as he was mid charge when it hit. "Green Gun: Mandrake!" I yell as a mandrake shoots out from my hand and fly at him.

"Lanzallamas!" He yells and fire engulfs the mandrake as it barely makes it half way, 'Shit he can attack from medium distance now, I'll really have to keep my distance.' "Llama Trampa!" Fire shots out again as his flames form a net and nearly trap me, but I dodge and roll away before charging at him, putting on several layers of wood to protect myself on my front. 'No use, just going to fight him regularly.' I begin my attack and throw several punches at him, he dodges most of them before a right hook connects and hits him square in the jaw sending him flying into a rock. He gets up barely even feeling it and charges at me, turning his own hands into iron swords. 'When did he gain that much control to make rocks into iron by changing their composition?' I don't have time to reflect on it as he quickly begins his assault and cuts away at the wood on my body.

I try and put more layers of wood on me, but can't keep up with his speed and he finally cuts away the last layer before and he connects with his right hand, which is now a hammer. It sends me flying but I'm able to recover my balance and spin mid-air and stop my flight by landing on my feet on a wall. I grow roots from my feet so I can't fall and yell, "Green Cannon: Continuous!" As I repeat my attack from earlier but I fire off seven rounds at him. I watch as he uses his fists, which are swords again, and cuts all the plants down mid-flight, the last being cut into tiny little pieces of firewood, damn he was so precise with it. I come down, releasing the roots and I put on a full body layer of ironwood(*A/N) and I charge again. This time we trade blows, one of his hands iron, the other fire, and he lands a blow for every one I get, a true trade-off. We separate, as we realize no one won that exchange, and continue again, this time I'm able to land a clean hit to his kidney and another one to his liver. He doubles over in pain, but is quick to block my next attack and prevents me from even nicking him with an attack. He then quickly gets up and charges at me, this time he wins as he lands fire punch to my jaw and an uppercut that launches me back a bit. I look at him and see he's barely broken a sweat, 'Good he's still has a lot more to go like me. Time to turn up the heat here!

I put on another layer and yell, "Green Trees: Continuous!" and trees begin sprouting out of nowhere, one of which was under where he was and he is forced to jump up and dodge it. I use this chance and strike, yelling, "Green Gun: Venus Fly!" A venus flytrap sprouts out of nowhere and hit him. It begins to bite him and he is forced to burn the thing off and burn himself slightly as the venus flytrap had latched itself on very tightly. He was clearly in pain but did not show anything to betray how he felt.

"Tierra Escudo! Fierro Bastón!" He yelled as a shield from the ground and a staff from the iron on his hands appeared and he charged, crashing into me with his shield, which he used to push me back, forcing me into the path of his staff that came down and hit me in the side of the head, causing me stagger from the force a bit. Then he yelled, "Tierra Bloque!" His shield then morphed into a block of earth and, using his staff, sent it flying at me. I was unable to recover due to the speed and was hit dead on like it was some sort of freight train. I was sent flying back into the wall with the block crushing me momentarily until it's momentum had finally stopped and I was able to push it off of me.

I looked up and saw him running towards me again, and I put on another layer of ironwood and met him halfway, with a staff of ironwood in my hands and our staffs met and clashed, blocking each others attacks and landing only grazing blows as we separate for a moment before trading blows again. 'Man, he has gotten a lot stronger since I trained him last, but his fighting style overall is the same, well more or less, since now he can attack from all three ranges. Still I must not underestimate his pure strength, he might still kill me if I'm not careful. I'll have to use THAT technique…' I thought before I yelled, "Green Body Manipulation: Tree!"

(POV Change to Esoj/Padre)

'Uh-oh, he's using his body manipulation technique, that means we're getting serious. As long he doesn't use that technique I shouldn't have to do anything risky and/or dangerous to him… hopefully' I thought to myself as I watched as his body fully became a tree and his feet became stumps with roots, his hands connecting into branches, and his head losing any semblance to a head as it became very much like a tree's top. And he was ironwood now, his strongest wood and the wood that the hardest to cut.

I clutched my staff tightly and said to him, "Oh, serious now are we? I have only ever seen you use this in an actually tough battle, so I'm honored to be considered worthy of the technique. Now come let us dance some more! Fierro Espada!" I charged at him as the iron staff morphed into a sword, and using the sword I swung down at his left shoulder.

However he merely let it hit and stop in his shoulder, not moving. I tried to ply it loose but was unable to, and I was forced to abandon it as he punched me in the gut and I was sent flying the other way. I landed with a thud, landing in a tree, and thought to myself, 'It's no use up close anymore, his armor is way too tough now. I'll have to keep some distance between us.' "Irrupción Volcán!" Hot lava came shooting out of the ground but did so at an angle so it would shoot out at him, and he was forced to retreat a bit more as he had began to close the gap between us. As he retreated I yelled, "!" and a lightning bolt shot down from the roof and missed him only by centimeters as was rolling out of the way, "Rayo del Zeus: Tormenta!" lightning now was coming now every few seconds and was striking wherever he was standing. I watched apprehensively until finally one hit him and I saw my chance. I charged in and got as close as possible crouching low, before yelling, "Ponche de Acero!" my fists becoming pure steel and I landed a vicious right uppercut to where his kidney was, sending him flying before I chased after him. I reached him and swung upwards, my fists still steel and I sent him straight up this time. I followed him and when I reached him I elbowed him in the back, putting my full force behind the elbow, and a few bones cracked as he was sent flying to the ground.

I watched as he landed with the loudest crash I had ever heard and a massive, the size matching a dragon if they had been the one to crash, crater formed where he landed. 'Uh, maybe a bit much but ok!'

I said, "Lana Nubes!" and clouds formed beneath me and caught me as I fell from a long ways up, almost touching the roof that was approximately equivalent to a hundred story skyscraper. I finally reached the ground and looked around and wondered, 'Where is he, he's definitely not dead I would have felt something. The bond between sensei and student is strong and it is said that one could feel when the other had died. So since I haven't felt that yet he's obviously alive.'

As if on cue, senpai walked out of the crater but was visibly hurt, 'Man, I really did a number on him this time.' Then in saw him do something that made me visibly pale.

(POV Change back to Warrod)

I walk out of the crater and know I can't take any more damage even close to that or it's over. 'I'll have to use THAT technique. It may be forbidden by the council, but I must end this threat that I failed to stop. Mavis, Yury, Precht, this may very well be my final battle, so please be ready for me!' I thought as I mustered all of my remaining magical power, "Green: Creator!"

(POV Change back to Esoj/Padre)

'OH SHIT! He used the creator technique! This is bad, I can't let him touch me or else I'll become a plant! FOREVER!' I watched as his body returned to normal, except for his fingers, which radiated a vibrant green and were the most beautiful things that one could ever see. They were like plants, each and every one of them a different one and were all most likely plants that had only existed at the dawn of man, each just as beautiful as the last. I had never been more terrified of plants ever before in my life.

"You know what this technique does right, Esoj? This technique will turn you into a plant if I can touch you with my fingers, at which point you will die. I'm sorry it's come to this and I wish there was another way, you know how I feel about killing. But you have forced my hand…" I see him pause and choke up a bit, and then I see the tears falling from his eyes. "The bond between sensei and student is sacred and is very difficult to break, some say that only death can do it. I promise that once you are dead, I will never forget you and try and make sure you are a tree, so that I may visit you and keep your memory alive. Please forgive me, and I promise to watch after Nena."

"AND for our son? E.J. or Esoj Jr., he's only five years old," 'Five years, six months, one week, two days, ten hours, and ten minutes if my math is correct but who's counting?' "Will you watch after him as well?" I ask pointedly and prepare myself as well as this will be the final exchange of blows, as only one will stand after this.

"Yes." He replied and continues to cry for me and for his belief that he had failed me in some way.

"Warrod-senpai, know this. I do not in any way blame you for something or feel you have failed me, and nor should you. You did your very best and raised not just me, but Nena as well and did a job that would be considered to be the job of the century, you taught us to read and write Japanese, to be respectful, to eat right, to behave like normal people, you taught us the meaning of living life the right way, so do not be sad. If you believe we are wrong in what we are doing then know it's no ones fault but our own. Senpai, I love you like a father and will always do so. So come! Let us finish this!" I say and get into my fighting stance.

He wipes away his tears with his sleeve and looks at me with a new resolve and his jaw set. He puts his hands into the stance that I just put myself in and we wait a moment before we both charge. I turn my hands into steel swords, and move in, the seconds and feet separating us seeming like they would stretch on forever. But they don't and we finally meet at the middle of the field. He swings his right hand out at me and I dodge it, and then swing my left hand up and cut off his arm just above the elbow. I see out of the corner of my eye his other hand coming in for a punch and I duck underneath it and swing my right sword up, cutting of the other arm before my body does the full combination of the move and I don't even fully register what happens. When I finally break out of my haze I say quietly, "N-n-no… senpai I'm so sorry. Senpai!" I yell but see his eyes dimming, as I look at him, with my left sword sticking into his chest and the end pointing out the other side, blood gushing out. The rumors were right, when either the master or the student dies, the other feels it, and boy did I feel it.

(POV Change to Mavis)

I watch as the scoreboard lights up, it's lights brighter than before. 'Maybe it's lighting up so brightly since the last fight only ended a few moments ago…' the lights turn into a manageable shade of their colors and I look on in horror.

"MAVIS! Warrod he…shit so you know now. Come on! He's not quite dead yet so let's go and get him, Precht's already there so we're the only two left out here." Yury says as I nod and take his hand he had stretched out to me.

I float away with him, my eyes never leaving the board and I read it one last time to make sure it really says what I think it did. It does: Winner: Padre. Score: 3-0. Death Count: 1.

(Inside the arena now)

I float in and see Precht there next to Warrod, with his pupil over him, crying silently and apologizing to his sensei. I walk over and hear what are likely Warrod's last words, "Do not cry Esoj, you did what you thought must be done for the preservation… of your dreams… Hey have I ever asked you… Do… Fairies… have…tails…" the last part was a mere whisper as he took in his last breath and died, joining his friends in the after life.

"Warrod… I'm sorry! I'm sorry that another one of my plans killed you! I should have never learned so much information on strategies! Curse my mind! They always end up killing people! First Zeira, then Yury, Precht going crazy, many of the guild members, even myself, and now…you my dear friend." I begin to cry as Yury pulls me close and hugs me.

"Don't beat yourself up Mavis, I did this to myself." I hear Warrod's voice and I look and see him as a ghost already, "If I had stuck to the plan and fought with those two young bloods, then I probably could have won. Although maybe not he didn't go all out until end, I could tell because his speed and level of manipulation spiked at the end, but still I brought this upon myself. I'm sorry for doing this, I got selfish today and ruined a solid plan. I just wanted to right at least one wrong, one of my failings, and I did. So please forgive me and stop crying." He asked as I looked up at him and we exchanged soft smiles. "Hey let's sing that song that you always used to sing, you know the one about Fairy Tail?"

"Of course I know it, and yes. Let's sing it." I say as I stand up from Yury's arms.

"There will be painful times… sad times…I will be with you through thick and thin… You are never alone… The hopes we carry are matched by the number stars twinkling in the sky, the rustling of the wind on our bodies are premonitions for what's to come tomorrow… now let us take a stroll, to the melody from the song of Fairies…" We all sang and when we finished we looked at each other and smiled at each other.

"Come, we have a counter attack plan to formulate, right Mavis?" Warrod asked as our faces quickly went sour and shy-like.

"Ummmm, about that… no one's won yet, Erza and Jellal lost, as did Lyon and Jura. You were the one that just lasted as it stands as the third longest. The plan is in shambles and there really is no chance to change it, so yeah we are going to lose this time." I said quickly and float off, dragging Yury along with me.

"EHHHH!" was Warrod's only audible response as he quickly followed after me, and the four founders of Fairy Tail were off together, on yet another adventure and journey. The only difference this time being, that all four of us were dead.

**A/N: Score is now: Ronin 3 – Fairy Tail 0. What a sad chapter to write as I found Warrod to be an enigma that intrigued me, but this battle had to end like this for the sake of the plot. Also none of the moves used here were canon and are totally my own creation, not Hiro's. And have you guys read Fairy Tail Zero? If not go do it it's by the writer of Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima, and is about the four founders and that girl Zeira that was mentioned and is making me think that my interpretation on Mavis and Yury's relationship was spot on. It's a good overall read and is actually kinda funny, so you should check it out! The Death count is at one now, so do you think we'll reach the over under of three or will we pass it, or will we not even reach it? Let me know what you think, as I love hearing feedback of any sorts! SO PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: The Feelings of Loved Ones

**A/N: Hello there! Shout-out to brucie86 and sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for their reviews and to Jmart12 for the favorite! Thanks guys! And now onto chapter 26 and THE MAIN EVENT PART ONE! Lucy's turn to fight! Enjoy!**

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Start of Battles (Gray POV)

I watch and follow Gildarts, Juvia who had changed from her wedding attire like I had, and Cana run off to the arena, the energy they feel oozing out of them. I follow behind at a much slower pace and see that the arena is literally right in front of me. I sigh and follow after them, until Juvia turns and looks at me and asks, "Is everything alright Gray-sama?"

'No, my wedding just got ruined and now I have to fight a close friend, how are you ok with this?' I wonder to myself, but say instead, "Yeah sorry, just a little miffed about the wedding. That's all." 'I can't let them know about me not wanting to fight, they need me and I need to help them, I must put on a brave face!' I reason to myself.

"Yes Juvia is as well! Now come so we can go home and begin the…" She pauses and blushes and allows me to catch up to her and says, "The night of LOVE!" She says and nearly passes out, as I have to keep her upright and awake. "Juvia is sorry! She just still can't believe that she is married! AH! It's all Juvia's dreams rolled up into one! KYAAAA!"

I smirk at her and can't believe I was lucky enough to marry a woman that loves me this much. "Yes, let's get this over with as quickly as possible."

"Hey love birds! Hurry it up we got a job to do! Talk about sex later!" Gildarts yells and we both blush and hurry it up and catch up to him and Cana. We enter the arena through the door marked Lucy and we rush in. As we enter and we immediately see the field, it is really big and expands the entire arena almost and has no roof. I look around and see Lucy, sitting on a rock waiting for us, her arms crossed and her face smug.

"Oh, so they sent you old man? And the newlyweds? Still a bit sore about ruining your wedding? Come on, it's not like it just happened or anything… oh wait. It did! HAHAHA! Oh and Cana? You're here too, that's really a shame, this a battle between the big guns, you might wanna leave before it gets too rough. Especially since you cant drink and fight, you're not Bacchus." She said and looked directly at Cana her face showing her disdain for her being there, as if an affront to her pride.

"Hey don't underestimate me! I am a Fairy Tail mage and just because I'm drunk half the time doesn't mean shit. You-you-yo…" Cana protested before an enormous amount of magical energy was released, and I looked to see if it was Gildarts. It wasn't and he looked a bit unnerved by how strong it was. I looked to Lucy and immediately saw her face, it was very serious now and I could feel the source of the magic energy being her. I gulp at the pressure and watch as Cana is being crushed simply by her magical energy. She attempts to stand but suddenly Lucy is on her and roundhouse kicks her, at her shoulder, into the ground. The spot where she landed was simply a hole with Cana's feet sticking out.

"CANA!" We all yell as we rush over to her, but are stopped mid charge as Cana is thrown at us like a rag doll. She's bloody and her entire arm is slumped down, meaning her shoulder was badly dislocated and her arm was definitely broken in several places.

"That was half strength and I completely knocked her out and destroyed her left shoulder. Pfft, pathetic. Was that the strength of a Fairy Tail mage nowadays? Well then this fight should be over soon." Lucy said and grabbed two key from her belt, "Open gates of the Bull and the Twins! Taurus and Gemini!" the two spirits she had called out appearing before us and she looks at us and shakes her head, "No this too much, Gemini you can go back." Gemini nods his head and returns to the Spirit world.

'Damn she's cocky now. But still I can't seem to get pumped for this battle… I still see her as a nakama, and I won't hurt her.' "I see that shy and humble girl gig is over now huh?" I ask as she smirks at me and laughs.

"Yup, it ended a long time ago, but not that you would know though, you and everyone else refused to treat me like this so I had to don this persona, so that I could get respect." She said and said nothing more as she suddenly charged in at Gildarts and Taurus came at me. I blocked his axe as he swung at me with a forearm of ice, and then I use my demon slayer magic and freeze his axe. But he just grins and rips his hand apart, shattering the ice as he kicks up at me.

I see it coming and block it, then Juvia comes in and yells, "Water Slicer!" And Taurus who couldn't see it coming is cut badly and is forced to retreat back to the spirit world. "Is Gray-sama ok?" Juvia asks.

"Yeah, he didn't even land a blow on me, but he was definitely stronger than before, I could feel it in his kick. She is definitely stronger herself as well." I say as I see her pushing Gildarts back. She lands a clean kick to his side and he is sent flying our way, landing next to us and blinking up at us.

"Wow, she's strong. Gonna have to get serious now, everyone will." He says as we both nod at him, but I think to myself, 'Why can't get pumped about this? Do I really feel this strongly? That she is still a nakama?'

I don't have time to come up with an answer as I see Lucy charge and at us and yell, "Open gate of the Goat! Capricorn!" and Capricorn appears. They both work together and attack, as she goes high and kicks out us, connecting with my head as I though she wouldn't hit me for some reason. Foolish I know, and I'm sent flying into a wall. The other two had ducked right into Capricorn's attack as he swept their legs out from under them and then Lucy follows up with a hammer-like punch to both Gildarts and Juvia's sides, sending them crashing into the ground, creating a small crater, "Still only fifty percent guys. Come on pick it up." She said mockingly and laughed. "Ok, I'll show you how much sixty percent is. Open Gates of the Lion and the Mermaid! Leo and Aquarius!" the spirits came out and both looked extremely smug.

I watch as Gildarts and Juvia get up and Gildarts looks at me in confusion before yelling, "Oi, Gray! Wake up! We're in the middle of a battle here! Get your head out your ass and get serious!"

I look and nod automatically and shake my head, looking like I was trying to get serious, which I wasn't. 'Why can't I get pumped for this fight? What's wrong with me? Juvia needs me, I have to get serious! Why can't I get serious? Do I really still not see Lucy as an enemy? Juvia does and just this morning she was Juvia's maid of honor. What's wrong with me? Is it because we were on the same team now and do not want to hurt her? What's wrong with me?! Ugh! Focus! Think of the fight we're in not about the fact that you see her as a sister.' I blink once and realize, 'That's it! I see her as a little sister still, and that I need to protect her! Now how to get past that and actually fight her…'

I am broken out of my reverie as suddenly Loke is on me and punches me in the face. He yells "Regulus Impact!" and he punches me again this time in the gut and then follows it with the same attack, this time it's an uppercut and it sends me up in the air. He somehow gets above me and uses his hands like a hammer, crushing me in the gut, and sends me crashing into the ground, I land causing a crater to form. I groan as I get up, not really hurt since he's not that strong compared to others I have faced.

I shake off the invisible dust and sigh annoyed, saying, "You know, that was a pretty dirty move, Loke. Hitting a guy while he's thinking, not cool bro." I look and see him looking at me, then at the ground and then back at me, "What? You didn't hit me that hard you know. That was like a punch from Wendy, barely even felt it." I say smugly and smirk at him. But the smirk didn't feel right and was almost as if I was lying. I really needed to wake the fuck up.

(POV Change to Lucy)

I see the exchange between Loke and Gray and can't help but smile at the reaction Loke has to Gray barely being hurt. 'Not surprising as he probably is at Gildarts' level back in his earlier days. Speaking of him, how is the old man holding up…' I turn and see him finishing off Capricorn and Juvia is still at a deadlock with Aquarius. 'Why are they even fighting? They can't hurt each other and they could literally keep this up for days.' I then look at Gray and see him fighting Loke, but very passively so. Then I realize something, 'He's not going all out! He's been fighting defensively and is extremely distracted… Does he not think I'm strong enough to take seriously? Well let's put this theory to the test.' "Forced Gate Closure! Gates of the Mermaid, the Goat, and the Lion! Thanks for the help guys!"

I look and see them looking at me confused, and I merely shrug before I charge at the pair of fighters. I get close and deliver a kick to Juvia's back so quickly that she has no time to dodge and is sent flying towards Gray. I then move onto Gildarts as I throw a feint at his left knee, which he dodges easily but is now off balance. I had hoped for this and I use my now patented Lucy Kick, yes its actually patented, and I send him to where I sent Juvia, landing there with a crash. I look at them and then open my stance to where I have no guard anymore. "Come at me! I'll give you one free shot! Hit me with your best combo and I won't fight back. Let's see if you guys pose any real threat." I say and look expectantly at them as the three look at each other and form a plan of attack, 'Better prove me wrong Gray, or else. Prove me wrong and there will be hell to pay.'

(POV Change back to Gray)

I wait for the others to say something and finally Gildarts does, "Ok here's the plan, I'll hit her using my disassembly magic and split her person into tiny versions of her. Juvia use your water and sweep her, all of the hers, away with the biggest wave you can muster and sweep her towards Gray. Gray use your ice magic and freeze the wave and make sure it stays frozen, got it?" He asks as we both nod our heads in agreement, and separate to begin the attack. 'Ok you can do this! Just freeze the water and that's it. Thanks for giving me the easiest part Gildarts!' I thought as I watched Gildarts charge at Lucy.

He arrived to where Lucy was and hit her with his magic and she split into tons of versions of mini Lucy. I then see Juvia arrive not a second later and create a hundred foot wave and send it towards me, 'Ok here goes nothing. Remember! All you have to do is freeze her! Yeah you can do that no problem! Yeah it'll be easy and fun!' I think as the wave gets closer, about thirty feet away.

'Yeah, yeah I can do this! It's not like this will hurt her right? Wait will it? What if I freeze her through the water to the point that everything on her insides are frozen? Baka! That won't happen! I'm an ice mage! I can control ice like breathing! I won't hurt her, especially since she's like my sister!' twenty feet and closing.

'But what if, since she's so small right now that I do accidently freeze her organs and don't know it? NO! Stop worrying so damn much, you are Gray Fullbuster, Fairy Tail mage! You won't hurt her! I can't hurt her, she's like my sister, no way I could hurt her.' Ten feet and counting as I get into a stance to freeze the water.

'But what if something happens? What if I accidently kill her?! UGH! What do I do? Should I still freeze her? What do I do?! I can't hurt her, she's like my sister! I won't hurt her… right? No I will not hurt her, now come on just…' Too late. The wave hits me and I hit the deck, trying to not be swept away and feeling extremely ashamed of my inability to act. 'FUCK! I missed my chance!'

As the wave finally washes over me I look and see Juvia and Gildarts looking at me dumbfounded. Gildarts is the first to find his voice and he says, "GRAY! WHAT THE FUCK! YOU RUINED THE PLAN! WHAT THE FUCK?!" He was mad and looked the part as he began walking over to me.

Juvia however was quicker to get to me and looked me up and down, asking, "Are you ok Gray-sama? That wave was very powerful and was meant to really do damage to anyone in the way. Are you alright? AHHH! Juvia is sorry she put her husband through that!" She almost started crying but stopped her hysteria as she saw something, her face of concern causing me to look to where she was looking as I saw what she saw.

Standing there with her fists clenched and a scowl that could have killed if it was any more angry, was Lucy and boy was she mad. She was shaking in rage and was breathing heavily from the force of her anger and the stress it was causing. She looked up and saw us and her scowl somehow deepened even more, adding a murderous tint to her eyes and adding fear into the equation of the battle, fear of her fury. She then pointed at… me?

(POV Change back to Lucy)

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! YOU STILL HAVEN'T CHANGED AT ALL! YOU STILL THINK I'M SOME DAMSEL IN DISTRESS THAT NEEDS SAVING!" I yelled now thoroughly incensed. Hell was about to be paid. "WHAT, DON'T SEE ME AS A VIABLE THREAT? HUH, IS THAT IT? WELL I'M ABOUT TO SHOW JUST HOW BIG OF A THREAT. AND MAYBE NOW YOU"LL BE MOTIVATED TO FIGHT ME!"

I finish my yell and charge in while yelling, "Celestial Flash!" and a bright light comes from my hand and blinds the three of them and allows me to slip in unnoticed. As they regain their sight, I yell, "Celestial Beam!" and I send Gildarts flying off somewhere. Then I look at Gray and smirk and put my hand up to Juvia chest and yell, "Celestial Beam: TD!" and in a flash of light, Juvia Fullbuster is gone.

(POV Change back to Gray)

I see her smirking and a flash of light, then nothing for a moment before I regain my vision and immediately notice one thing, 'Where's Juvia?' "JUVIA! JUVIA!" I yell and look around Lucy is gone now and so is Juvia. I continue looking around yelling, "JUVIA! JUVIA WHERE ARE YOU?" I start to walk around and take two steps forward before I feel something under my foot, causing me to look down and my face to pale at the sight, "No, no, no, no! NO! NO! NOOOOOOO!" The thing I had stepped on was Juvia's favorite hat nowadays, blue with ice-crystal accents, but no Juvia and immediately I knew what that flash of light was. It was the light that just killed my wife, Juvia Fullbuster, and now I was mad.

(POV Change to Levy)

I watch as Mavis runs off after the scoreboard lets us know that the battle Warrod was over and that he had been the one to die most likely. Then I see the scoreboard light up again as it updates itself, and what it says causes my face to pale, "Lu-chan… what did you just do?" The scoreboard now read like this: Score 3 – 0. Death Count: 2. Those Dead: Warrod Sequen and Juvia Fullbuster.

The Exceeds and Doranbolt who were next to me said nothing as their mouths were agape. Then two more men came and joined the five of us, it was Bickslow and Freed who had been gone on a mission for master and Freed asked, "Sorry we're late! We hope we didn't miss too much of the wedd…what's happening?" I looked to him and sighed deep and began to retell the events of the day, and knew it was going to take a while.

(POV Change to Gildarts)

I groan after that vicious kick from Lucy, 'damn was that kick strong. Alright, what's happening? Ummmm, where are they?' I look around and try to find them, thinking that Gray and Juvia were sent elsewhere. But then I look to where I was and see Gray, on his knees, holding something…Blue? 'Wait. Is that…no it can't be.' I rush over to where he is and look at him.

He's crying holding a hat, Juvia's hat I realize, and he is just repeating, "No, Juvia, no this can't be." I leave him like this for a good ten minutes and then I place my hand on my shoulder, and he looks up at me. I had never seen him look so small since the time I first met him in that prison all those years ago, but he was a kid so how else would he have looked? "Gildarts! Where's Juvia have you seen her? I can't find her!" He asks and my heart breaks for him and my stomach tightens.

"Gray…" I start and he knows what I'm about to say.

"NOOO! SHE CAN'T BE… there's no way, she can't be… Juvia…" He says and grabs her hat again and starts crying again.

"Oh, would you get over it already? It's your own fault anyways. You should have fought me with your all, I do not take kindly to being underestimated, those people earn my ire and when that happens, no one is safe." A new voice came and I turn to see Lucy standing there, a scowl firmly in place, the way she looked, she was ready for battle. "Juvia is gone now Gray, and you have no one to blame but…" She began to say but was quickly cut off.

"YOU! I HAVE YOU TO BLAME! I SAW YOU AS A SISTER BEFORE! A SISTER! BUT NOW, I HATE YOU AND AM GOING TO KILL YOU! BRING IT YOU BITCH!" Gray yelled as he quickly entered his demon slayer state and charged at Lucy, an ice sword in hand. 'Where did that sword come from? He didn't have it when Lucy walked up and talked and nor did he have it when he began his rant. Is he really that fast now?' I thought as I watched him and Lucy go back and forth, it was truly an awe inspiring sight that had my jaw dropping so fast it hurt.

(POV Change to Lucy)

'That may have just been a bit over the top but hey it was necessary, it needed to be said.' I thought as Gray continued to come at me with his sword of ice. He lands a clean hit with the hilt of his sword to my gut and slashes my shoulder with the blade itself and cuts me open a bit. 'Damn! He's fast now! And much stronger too, but it's still not enough. That last attack barely did any real damage, just superficial damage., he alone is not enough to win.' As if on cue, Gildarts comes flying in and I am forced to dodge as I don't want to get turned into little me's again. The first time was more than enough for me.

"Open Gate of the Paladin! Arthur!" I yell and summon my second newest spirit form the Spirit World, the Paladin, Arthur. He is the spirit of the one called King Arthur and is a formidable knight. "Arthur, take them out!" I yell and he takes up his sword that is about as long as me, he himself taller than Laxus and Jura combined. He charged them and swung his sword at the two of them causing them both to dodge, at which he brings his sword up and with one hand still holding the sword, he separates his hands and hits both Gray and Gildarts, sending them flying. "Get the older one! I'll take care of the stripper!" I yell as I see Gray, midflight, taking his shirt off. 'Odd, he only just started stripping. What was he really that out of this fight that he forgot his habits? Not that I minded, I preferred him with a shirt on than with it off, especially since I had seen Natsu naked… Let's just say they're not quite evenly matched there.

I reach where Gray had landed and am forced to immediately roll out of the way as he shoots an arrow at me, an arrow of ice that is. 'Wow, he really is strong, to take a direct hit from Arthur and be more or less unharmed is almost unheard of. This is going to be fun!' I look at Gray and see the anger in his eyes and can't help but feel excited about this fight. 'Man, Natsu is really rubbing off on me. Next thing you know I'll be pounding fists together, yelling YOOOOSH! I'm all fired up! If that happens I might just kill myself.' I get up and catch the next arrow that he fires at me and see his face, shock and annoyance that I caught it. I smirk at him and throw it back at him, his only response him moving his head so that the arrow doesn't hit him in the head. I then charge as he was reacting, and I punch him right in the gut and call upon Loke's powers to help me make the punch extremely painful. I connect and he doubles over in pain from the force of the attack, but I don't give him a chance to recover as I kick him straight in the face, or at least I tried to, but he simply blocked my kick.

He grabs my ankle and pulls my legs from under me, mid fall he punches me in the gut, which sends me crashing into the ground. I quickly get up and yell, "Celestial Arrows!" and arrows appear above me and shoot down at Gray. "Celestial Torrent!" The arrows are then followed by a massive wave of water, both crash into him but only the arrows are a threat as he just freezes the wave. I knew he would and relax for a moment and look at his ice magic, vain idiot. "Celestial Axe! Celestial Sandstorm!" I yell and an axe appears above him that he is forced to dodge, which he does right into the sandstorm that blinds him momentarily. While he cant see I charge in and yell, "Celestial Hole! Celestial Wool!" and a hole appears beneath him which he falls into and wool then appears covering it. The sandstorm subsides as does the frozen waves behind me. I look to the hole and see the wool freezing over. 'Why do I even try? If only I had a true fire spirit, then he couldn't just freeze everything, ugh! How annoying this is getting. Wonder how Arthur is doing…'

Again as if on cue I see Gildarts come flying in and landing on his face, Arthur right on his tail. "Ok, Arthur! That's enough! They know where they stand! I'll take it from here. Tell Spirit King I'll be over soon to have a meeting with him, in a bout a week tell him it's about THAT thing we talked about. He'll know what I mean." I watch as Arthur bows and nods his head and disappear before my eyes. I sigh and look at the two before me, Gray having gotten out of the hole but was breathing heavily as was Gildarts. "You guys are boring. Barely even made me sweat! I expected more out of you two! But oh well, can't have everything now can we? I'll just end this quickly and wait for Natsu, he's still a bit busy, but no one else is so we can hang out and talk! Wow three for three so far, and about to make it four for four, didn't think it would be that easy! But oh well, I still had some fun! Hahaha!"

I look at them as I cackle at them and see their annoyed faces, ready to keep fighting, but I wasn't. These guys weren't even worth my time. I'll just use Metria and be done with it. I begin to recite the spell, "Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens...All the stars, far and wide...Show me thy appearance...With such shine. Oh Tetrabiblos... I am the ruler of the stars...Aspect become complete...Open thy malevolent gate. Oh 88 Stars of the heaven... Shine! Urano Metria!" And a host of bright lights come down and engulf the two, crushing them with an intense magical force that could only be achieved by being able to use the powers of all eighty eight constellations at once and by one's self. That's what my training with my new type of Celestial magic, Celestial raid or the ability use the main power of a constellation that is also one of your keys, of which I have mastered them all but do not own them all. I was able to do this thanks to the Spirit King.

I watched as the dust settled and I see the two I was just fighting completely unconscious, and badly beaten. 'Whoops… kinda overdid it there… but hey that was full power and Metria can only be done fully at full power so I guess it's just bad luck for them. Oh well time to go and check on the others then.' I turned and walked away, leaving a man who was reaching the decline of his life and a widow.

(POV Change to Levy)

The scoreboard lights up again after only fifteen minutes, right in the middle of my explanation of what had occurred. I see the update and simply sigh as it read what I thought it would say: Winner: Lucy. Score: 4 – 0. Death Count: 2.

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**A/N: Whew! What a long chapter! Longest so far! Score is now 4 – 0! Wow that fight was hard/fun to write! Hard in the sense as there is next to nothing useful out there on Gildarts' magic, and Lucy's new variation on her magic was my own creation. And the part about Gildarts meeting Gray in a jail is in Fairy Tail Ice Trail also by Hiro and documents Gray's past as a kid. Well I hope you guys enjoyed it and are ready for the MAIN, MAIN EVENT TOMORROW! LAXUS & MASTER VS NATSU! SO PLEASE READ AND REVIEW WITH YOUR THOUGHTS! ADIOS!**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: A Pyrrhic Victory

**A/N: Hello there! The end of Battle Week is in sight! And today is the main event! NATSU'S TURN TO FIGHT! Shout-out to WierdRoseAmy for favoriting my story! And special thanks to my devoted readers and reviewers in sashaXmafuyuFOREVER and ken106348**, **you guys are always reviewing my story. You guys rock! Now hit the imaginary gong and let the last fight begin! Enjoy!**

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Start of battles (Natsu POV)

'Finally, the wait is over! Now who is gonna fight me? Oh! I hope I get Laxus and Gray and Gajeel! OH! Can't forget about Gildarts or Jura! That would be fun! Might actually have to go all out if that's the case. Been a few years since I had to do that, not since me and Lucy took out that entire battalion of magic enforcement led by Lahar, now that was fun! I better not get master though, I'd rather not have to fight him just yet, at all if possible. I may hate him right now, but he's still my second father, I wouldn't want to kill him. But hey, a man's gotta do what he's gotta do.' I stop thinking to myself as I hear footsteps, at least five of them, and they are coming fast. 'OOOOOOOHHHH! Here they come! Well time for the show to begin! Yoooosh! I'm all fired up!'

I look and see two people come in first, Elfman and Mirajane, '… what? Why are they here? Still upset about Lisanna? She nearly killed one of their nakama but hey they could care less, obviously. They might not make it through today.' I look again and see Laxus and Gajeel enter next, 'Ok, this will be fun now, I should get a good workout here.' Then I see one final person enter and I immediately feel my stomach start to churn, 'Master. So he came too… This fight will be interesting, I wonder he didn't come alone?'

"Oh, are all of you here to fight me? I must say I'm flattered, though I don't see why Elfman and Mirajane are here, I could crush them just by glaring at them. Hahaha!" I say as I begin to laugh evilly at the duo, their faces gaining a scowl that is deepening by the second. "Aw, something the matter? Still a little mad about Lisanna? I don't know why, you heard what she said, she nearly killed Lucy all because she was jealous. I thought this guild valued nakama over family? Right master? That is why you excommunicated your own son right? A danger to the guild, you said. So where is that treatment now?" I ask pointedly and see master look down in immediate understanding at part of the reason I'm doing this. The loss of the value of nakama was the theme of the guild now.

"YOU KILLED HER THOUGH! She may have been guilty of a serious crime but you killed her in cold blood! Where is the justice in that!" Yelled Mirajane, her voice shaky at best, the emotions of the day getting to her.

"Pfft, justice and fairness, two things I was never shown. If you are so upset then come, fight me to prove your beliefs! Prove to me that you have not forgotten what had made Fairy Tail strong!" I challenge them and they begin to take their stances.

Mirajane and Elfman didn't waste any time as they came charging at me. I want to show my power so I simply release some magical energy and glare at them. They stop running and fall on all fours, clearly feeling the pressure.

(POV Change to Makarov)

I look up finally and prepare for battle, but am surprised by Mira and Elfman charging at Natsu, completely forgetting the plan. 'Damn them! They let him get into their heads and have completely forgotten the plan!' But then I was even more surprised as I felt Natsu release his magical power and almost suffocate from the pressure he exudes. 'My gods! This how strong he is now? He's on a completely different level, he could be on par with the gods of Ishgar! When did he get this strong?' I continue to watch as Mira and Elfman fall and feel the pressure of his power and eventually pass out, 'He… he really did it. He knocked them out just by looking at them! My gods what did I create by sending him away?' I wonder as he finally controls his magical power and relaxes.

"See told you I could knock those two out just by looking at them. They were really pathetic though. Is that really what passes for S-Class nowadays? Hey Gajeel I heard you're S-Class now. You any stronger yet? Or did you max out at steel shadow dragon? Was Tartaros your prime? Or have you improved since then?" He asks mockingly and I see Gajeel relatively unfazed by his taunt. 'Good I need him to stay calm. He's the X-factor here. If he can stay calm and stick to the plan we should be able to win.' "What cat got your tongue? Hahaha, as cool as steel now? What did Levy finally tame the mighty steel dragon? Are you her bitch now metal-breath? Oh, you're face says it all! You are so totally whipped! Hahaha! Who would have thought the great Kurogane, tamed by a mere bookworm who looks like she's twelve? Hahaha, this is way too funny, wait till Lucy hears about this, she'll have a riot!"

'Stay strong Gajeel, do what you do best, steel yourself to his taunts.' "Shut up! No way I'm whipped by Levy! I am in charge in our marriage! Now enough talking! Let's fight!" Gajeel yells and I feel ok with this result, 'At least he didn't lose it and charge at him blindly.'

"Ok, have it your way, but hey Laxus or should I say seventh master? Yeah I heard you were going to be master starting tomorrow. But let's see if you are worthy of that title! Come! Let's dance!" Natsu says and suddenly, he is in front of us.

He lights his fists on fire and punches Gajeel in the face sending him flying into a tree a few yards away. Then he turns on his heel and roundhouse kicks Laxus with foot that is on fire, sending Laxus the other way and into a rock a few yards away as well. Then he jumps and kicks his leg out at me. I saw it coming though and grow in size to be about the same height as Jura and block the kick, or at least try to but am sent back a few feet. He doesn't stop coming though and charges at me again, this time kicking me in the leg so fast I don't have to react. He then sweeps me off the ground using his leg and jumps above me and kicks me as I fall, sending me into the ground with a crash. He uses his fire to stay floating, like jetpacks from his hands, and lands next to the crater I created when I crashed into the ground. I groan and am saved by further attacks as Gajeel and Laxus reappear and try and take Natsu by surprise. But they are too slow as Natsu simply slips between them and allows them to crash into each other. I get up and join them, growing again to at least triple the height I was at, and try and crush Natsu under my hands. But once again he's too fast and he simply dodges all my attempts and then jumps up in front of my face, and with a fist ablaze he punches me in the nose. Normally my size negates a simple punch like this from doing damage, but his punch is strong enough to send me flying into the wall, nearly destroying it.

'Damn, he's way too fast and strong! I can barely see him move and almost have no time to react. How am I going to fight him?' I ponder as I shrink back down to a normal height and prepare for his next assault. I watch as Gajeel and Laxus attempt to fight him in their normal modes. "Oi, Gajeel, Laxus, stop wasting time and go into your full battle modes already! There's no time to waste anymore! We must go all out now!" I yell to them and they obey my demand and power up, Gajeel turning to steel and Laxus letting lightning exude from his body.

They then charge in again, but this time are much faster and are able to make Natsu have to dodge. They begin throwing punches but none of them seem to connect as Natsu simply dodges them, without moving from his spot. He crosses his arms now and continues dodging, yawning as well. 'My gods, just how slow are we to him? They haven't landed a single blow on him, not even one has grazed him yet!' I begin to worry until finally Laxus connects with a right hook to Natsu's jaw, causing his head to snap backwards.

But he still doesn't move and simply brings head up, a smirk on his face as he says calmly, "Thank you, may I have another? Hahaha sorry Gōsuto had to use that line though! Now where were we?" He looks at us and says, "Oh yeah this. Ok time to fight back now that I'm awake."

'He was sleeping?! He dodged all those attacks subconsciously? How is that even possible? How did he do that? I must help them!' I begin to run back to them as I had been simply walking and watching, trying to find a pattern to his fighting. I found none. 'Damn, he so unreadable it's impossible to find his fighting pattern now. Before it was all just straight attacks, now he's a lot more well rounded. We're gonna have to wait him out, wait for a chance and not miss when we get it!'

I watch as Gajeel and Laxus back away trying to create some space, 'Yes, good idea, he is a close range fighter, distance is the key here.' Then I watch as he lights a single finger, and points it at us. The flame begins to fly towards us and when it nears us, it suddenly explodes and we are sent flying back. 'WHAT?! He has attacks that use range? What in the world? Who trained him to be so strong? Where did he hide all those years? What really happened?!' I wonder until I hit a rock and keep flying through it until I hit the wall. 'DAMN! What an explosion to send us this far away! How did he just do that?'

I groan as I peel myself off the wall and look to where Gajeel and Laxus are, they themselves up and looking for Natsu. 'Where did that boy go…'

I am broken from my reverie as Natsu appears and immediately attacks Gajeel, sending him flying into Laxus. I charge in and expand my fists and catch him off guard as he was admiring his work on Gajeel and crush him with my fist. 'Yes! A clean hit!' I think as I see him simply get up and turn towards me. Then he is already in my face and begins unloading punches on me, though for some reason not as fast as before. I still am not fast enough however and he uses me as a punching bag for a solid minute before he grabs my enlarge hand and throws me into the charging Laxus and Gajeel. Gajeel dodges and turns his skin into steel dragon scales. They meet and begin trading punches, both landing blows and making the first true exchange of blows we had had today. They separate and Gajeel yells, "Steel Dragon's Sword!" And his trademark sword appears and he charges swinging the sword at Natsu. Natsu dodges each swing and eventually just grabs the sword with his bare hand. He swing Gajeel up and then throws him down into the ground, his hand still a sword.

Laxus then charges in and yells, "Lightning Flash!" and I am blinded by the light momentarily as is Natsu, at which time I can make out Laxus as he lands an uppercut on Natsu and follows with a right hook to his jaw. Then Laxus kicks Natsu in the gut pushing him back a bit. Raising his fists, he yells, "Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction!" 'His Raging Bolt technique. He's getting serious now.' I watch as Natsu who was stunned for a moment smirks at his choice in attack, and simply eats the lightning.

"What? Forget I am also a fire-lightning dragon slayer? Hahaha!" He laughs at our stupidity and I curse myself, 'DAMN! How could I forget that? Laxus gave him the lightning for fuck's sake! We are in a real bind right now, I might have to use the last resort…'

"Nope, just distracting you." Laxus replies coolly as suddenly Gajeel appears and yells, "Steel Dragon's Roar!" and hits Natsu dead on. Natsu is sent flying in the air and hits a tree and crashes through it, before he hits a wall finally stopping his momentum. He hits the ground, but has no time to get up as suddenly Gajeel is on him, Laxus not far behind. Gajeel yell, "Steel Dragon's Sword!" and stabs downward with his sword, 'NO! Wait Gajeel! You don't have to kill him!'

But my worries go for not as Natsu gets up, avoiding the sword and yells, "Fire Dragon's Roar!" and unleashes his roar at point blank range, hitting Gajeel with the full force. Gajeel only the time to bring one arm up and get a partial block of the roar and is flung backwards towards where I have just arrived at. I grow a bit and catch him before he gets too far away and set him down so he can rejoin the fight.

"Thanks master. Now come, Laxus needs our help, lets go!" I nod as he pumps us up and we join Laxus as he begins to trade blows with Natsu but is failing miserably, Natsu clearly ahead. 'Damn, just how weak are we compared to Natsu? We can barely even hit him right now. This has to end! Now!'

I begin to prepare to use Fairy Law, but the Laxus finally yells, "That's it! I have had enough of this! It's time to go all out!" And he releases some more magical energy and I am taken aback by it. 'He was holding back? And this much? What was he thinking? He should have been going this hard from the start!' Laxus then charges at Natsu and unleashes a barrage of attacks so fast I can barely even see most of the punches, the only noticeable thing I see are Laxus's shoulders moving as he throws his punches. Laxus is faster now, too fast for Natsu as he begins to use Natsu as a punching bag for a few minutes. He steps back and unloads an attack with all his strength and sends Natsu flying, Natsu not stopping until he hits something. I notice that Laxus is no longer standing nearby and that's when I notice what Natsu hit, he hit Laxus. Laxus had used his lightning body and beaten Natsu to the spot he sent him to, and had been waiting for him to arrive. He caught Natsu and then slammed him into the ground, using his fists like a hammer to do it. He then picks Natsu back up and begins using him like a punching bag again and continues for a solid minute and a half before he stops and yells, "Lightning Dragon's Roar!". He hits Natsu with his roar at point black range, but unlike when Natsu did it to Gajeel, Natsu didn't block him and took the full force of the attack. Natsu was being held by Laxus so he took the full force of the attack, and this time he can do nothing but take the full force of the attack. When the attack finishes, Laxus stands over him, smirking, "You thought you were so tough, but hey never let the dragon be the measuring stick of how strong you are. Just because you were raised by a dragon means absolutely shit, It's all about what you have in your heart. Too bad for you, you sold your heart away for revenge. And what has that gotten you? Nothing, except the ire of the strongest guild in all of Fiore. And my ire as well. I hope you like prison, cause that's where your going. Hey Gajeel restrain him using your steel, and if he wakes up, knock him back out. He was annoying the first time, don't want to have to deal with him again."

I look at and Laxus and smile, he really has grown up. "Hey Jiji," I hear my name and see Laxus looking at me with a smile on his face, as he says, "We did it Jiji!"

"You haven't done shit." I hear a familiar voice and I cringe, as my stomach churns at the voice. I turn and see Natsu, completely unharmed standing there… wait what? "Surprised? Hahaha! What never fought a psychic projection before? C'mon not even you master? You're so old I thought you would have done so by now. But oh well, I just cant believe you guys fell for it! Hahaha, what a bunch of idiots! My plan worked to perfection!"

Back to when the three were hit by the explosion(POV Change to Natsu)

I stifle a yawn as I watch the three I'm fighting fly and hit the wall, almost breaking them in the process. 'Aw man these guys suck! I can't even go all out yet! I expected more from these three, especially Laxus. Luce said he was stronger now, but I can't even tell. How pathetic, I wonder if Luce's done yet? Probably not, she probably had to kill someone, probably Gray because he's an exhibitionist. I know I would. Damn exhibitionist, he probably could put up a better fight than these losers.' I sigh and hatch a plan, 'That's it! I'll have some fun with this! I just hope my psychic projection doesn't suck, that was always Luce's thing, she is the smart one after all.' I focus and then feel the projection come to life and he looks just like me. "Yooosh! I didn't fuck it up! Ok other me, here's the plan. Since I only gave you half my strength, you should be evenly matched, so go and fight them, but don't kill them. I will do that if I have to. But have some fun! These guys are idiots so it's time to have some fun! Oh and if you lose I won't care, I'll have fun watching them try and beat me! Good hunting!" I watch as the other me goes off and I find a good tree and relax a bit, watching the battle unfold before me, laughing as I saw their futile attempts to beat the other me. It was truly pathetic.

Back to present (POV Change back to Master)

'No way, we fought a psychic projection! That was why he was slower… But how much of a gap was there between him and the real thing?' I ponder and then ask, "Natsu, just how much power did you give the projection?"

"Hmmm, about half of my power. Yeah it was exactly half, that's how strong projection can be, any stronger an it would become unstable. That's why Jellal sent his projection to Era, he couldn't risk any one coming to the island and fighting his projection, the projection would have lost." I hear his explanation and my heart drops, knowing just how much of a gap there was.

I refocus and ask, "Natsu, if given the choice, would you hurt everyone in the guild or come down with a sickness?"

He looks at me questioningly and then shakes his head, before replying, "Hurt the guild, because of what you guys did. I'll never forgive you guys, nor do I wish to, you guys put me through hell and back all because of the words of an emotionally unstable spirit. I was ready to kill most of you then and there but I waited for today. Now my revenge is almost complete and I didn't have to kill every last one of you! Great news for you guys! The only bad thing is…" He pauses as we look at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish his thought. What he said when he did finish his thought scared me, "I am going to have to rearrange some faces! Hahaha, hope you guys didn't really care about looks, although in Gajeel's case there would be nothing to do, it was ugly enough as it was. Hahaha! Now time to end this thing."

I watch as he begins to walk forward, towards us and I begin to panic in my mind. 'Oh my gods. He is far too strong to deal with normally. And far too gone to bring back from the darkness. It's time to atone for my sins and my failures. I will use Fairy Law and defeat him! Laxus, I'm sorry it had to come to this but it must be done.' I step forward and grow large, to a size necessary to perform the spell and say to Gajeel and Laxus, "Stand back. I will end this battle in one move. Now get back and allow me to perform the move. Distract him if you feel it necessary, which it is so yeah buy me some time." I get into the stance necessary and begin to channel all my remaining magic into my palms. "Natsu, I'm sorry it has come to this, but it must be done. I only wish I could have listened to your story all those years ago… Then we would not be here. Please forgive me and know I did not wish to do this." I finally feel the magic that is necessary in between my palms and open my eyes and yell, "Fairy Law, Activa…" I suddenly feel all the magic leave me and I feel nothing else, s the world goes black.

(POV Change to Laxus)

I begin to exchange blows with Natsu, the real Natsu this time, and I feel the power of Fairy Law near it's completion. I look at Natsu who waits until he hears gramps words and his eyes go wide and his face pales. I smirk knowing he knows what's coming, but that smirk leaves my face as suddenly I am thrown into the ground, Gajeel on top of me now. I watch as he charges at gramps and I can feel Fairy Law nearing it's completion, 'Come on Jiji! Hurry up!' I see and feel that the spell is ready and watch as he opens his eyes, 'Just in time! It's over!' He yells out the command for the spell, "Fairy Law, Activa…" He never finished as suddenly a hand shot out from his back, piercing his heart and I can see his heart, still beating in someone's hand before it is burned to ash. I look as gramps shrinks back down to his normal size and I can see who is behind him.

"And I'm sorry that it had to come to this, master. I really am." Natsu says and pulls his arm out from gramp's body. I feel so numb and shocked that he was not fast enough and that he is now dead, 'No… He cant be dead…he can't be...' "NOOOOO!"

(POV Change to Mavis)

I watch as the scoreboard lights up saying that Lucy had won. 'How unsurprising. She was too strong, especially for just Gray and Gildarts. Although the fact that she killed Juvia is shocking. I would never had pegged her as a killer. But hey her reputation as "Hell's Angel" wasn't exactly a good one, so I shouldn't be that surprised.' Then the scoreboard lights up again, 'So soon? So we lost huh…' Then it's lights goes back to normal and I gasp audibly feeling my heart drop along with everyone else there with us. The scoreboard now read: Score: 4 – 0. Death Count: 3. Those Dead: Warrod Sequen, Juvia Fullbuster, and Makarov Dreyar.

"Noooo… This can't be…" But it was, it was the sad reality of the day Natsu Dragneel had killed Makarov Dreyar, and had truly fallen to the dark side.

(POV Change back to Laxus)

"NATSU! YOU BASTARD!" I yell and Gajeel charges along with me.

We both are surprised however as Natsu is front of us and is smiling at us. He then grabs us by the throat, and begins laughing, "Hahaha! You guys can't even touch me. You guys would be lucky if you could knock me back two feet. When I was trying, you weren't even able to touch me. You two are terrible excuses for mages. Laxus you disappoint me the most, I can feel the power within you but yet you didn't use it today. Now I am using about eighty five percent of my power to keep you guys from escaping, and earlier when I knocked out Mirajane and Elfman I was going about sixty percent. You guys aren't anywhere near ready to face me. I'll give you guys a year, come find us in a year, and challenge us again. But don't come if your not ready, I don't like my time being wasted, those who waste my time usually end up like master over there. So get stronger and be ready. Just to show you how much you need to grow, I'll knock you guys at full power. Ready?" I then feel his magical energy, and I nearly suffocate at the pressure and then feel my head crash into Gajeel and I feel my skull crack from the blow. I do not black out, however, and I feel the blood trickling down my head. I reach out to Natsu as he turns to leave and he looks back and is a bit shocked that I am awake. He regains his composure and smirks at me, saying, "This is what I was talking about! You see you had more power than you knew, you could eventually make a decent opponent. Not any time soon, but maybe in a year… Yeah, yeah a year and we could fight one on one. But until then remember, remember who brought you this pain, and use it as your motivation." And after that I feel his fist hit my head, and as I feel it crack I also lose consciousness and pass out. Remembering what he said, the entire time I was unconscious I began to plot my revenge and knew it wasn't a total loss today, I now knew who my goal should be and how I should get there.

(POV Change back to Natsu)

I stand up from making sure Laxus was out cold and walked over to the exit, and I see Luce standing there, waiting for me. "So, we won huh?" She asked me.

"Yes, but it was only a pyrrhic victory. I had to kill master." I said. "But it had to be done, come on, since there is no master until tomorrow, Lumen Historie will be easy to steal. Let's get the others and pick up the spoils of victory." I walked out with Luce and we walked out hand in hand, finally able to relax, we had won, but at a great cost to Fairy Tail.

(POV Change back to Mavis)

I watch as the scoreboard lights up again, but I already know what it will say. 'Not even a single battle was won. This is bad, and not only did we lose every battle, but we lost our pride. This day will go down as the lowest day in Fairy Tail history, the day we lost our pride, our master, and we lost our way.' The scoreboard finally went back to a reasonable volume of light and it read: Winner: Natsu. Score: 5 – 0. Battles Over. Death Count: 3. Those Dead: Warrod Sequen, Juvia Fullbuster, and Makarov Dreyar. Total Time Elapsed: One Hour.

'We barely lasted an hour, how weak were we compared to them? I have much to ponder.'

"Warrod, Precht, Yury, Makarov, come we have much to discuss." I said as the founders and the only other true master walked off and we left the area, soundly defeated.

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**A/N:…It's finally over. The final score: Ronin 5 – Fairy Tail 0. Wow, that was long, almost five thousand words. But that was really fun to write! This was totally one sided but hey, when you can't even quantify a guys power, what do you expect? And the death count was at three exactly, so no over under needed. Surprised that it wasn't? I was just trying to fool you guys into not thinking that there would be three deaths exactly, and I think it worked. Also if any one is wondering, Padre and Madre's spells were all in Spanish, so no Llama does not mean the animal, but flame instead(It sounded wrong but that was what I was told so yeah). Also I'm taking tomorrow off so I can rest and recharge my batteries, so don't hate me! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW, REVIEW, AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Rings

**A/N: Hey I'm back! One day off and I feel extremely rested! Probably cause I slept for fourteen hours yesterday… So yeah yesterday was productive! Hahahaha! Shout out today to natsuxlucyrulez for following and favoriting the story, and to the usual reviewers in ken106348 and sashaXmafuyuFOREVER! You guys rock! AND to the guest who reviewed, you know who you are and I hope you make an account and review again so I can give you some more love! Also I have updated chapter one to really help make the plot of this story, especially in future chapters, tie in with all the chapters. So go back and read if you wish, meanwhile enjoy chapter 28!**

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After the fights (Natsu POV)

"Hey Luce, what was the final score?" I ask as we continue walking to where the others are gathered.

"Five zero. A clean sweep. Three deaths." She said and I looked at her surprised by the number of deaths.

"Who killed who?" I ask.

"Esoj killed Warrod, and I got Juvia. You obviously got master." She said and at her mention of her killing Juvia I looked at her quizzically. She in turn gave me a look that said 'Trust Me' and I nodded my head in understanding. We continued walking in silence now until we reached the exits, and we walked out into the open air and sunlight.

I immediately see the Fairy Tail contingent there and at the front I see Porlyusica, her face contorted into a scowl so deep that I can feel her anger and hatred for me. I looked around and saw the others waiting for us and we walk over to them. "Sorry I took so long, but hey when I'm having fun, I'm having fun. Although they were really weak. You guys ready to leave yet?" I asked as they all looked at me and nodded. "Ok one thing first though. Oi, guild members! You lost. However, this will only be the first round! We will give you guys one year! Use that year to train and then come and find us! We will be waiting!" I said and turned to leave.

"LU-CHAN! HOW COULD YOU KILL JUVIA! YOU WERE HER MAID OF HONOR NOT EVEN TWO HOURS AGO! WHY?" Levy yelled and was now in front of us, her small body shaking from the rage built up inside of her. "AND NATSU, HOW COULD YOU KILL MASTER?! HE WAS LIKE A FATHER TO YOU!" She said and I noticed the tears falling from her eyes.

"Oh would you just shut up? Honestly why would ever be surprised by anything any more? The old Lucy you thought you knew is gone! She died when you people chased away the man I loved all those years ago! This is the Lucy that is here now! GET OVER IT AND MOVE ON!" Lucy yelled at the girl she probably still considered her best friend, but right now was not the time for Levy to make Lucy mad.

"Oi, Levy, I wouldn't be wasting your time here, none of you should, you should be inside helping those whose asses we kicked. Especially those who fought me, they are all in pretty bad shape, cracked open their skulls I'm pretty sure." I said and watched as they all got the message and rushed inside to their comrade's aid. "Now guys, LET'S GO. C'mon we gotta go and pick something up from the guild building anyways. Let's hurry this up."

"Yes boss!" The others said and we left to the guild building. We walked in silence and did so until I looked at Lucy, who looked really down now.

I sighed and took hold of her hand and said, "You said what needed to be said, its alright. She might not understand now, but if she really is your best friend then she

Will, just give her time, ok?" I looked and saw her beginning to cry but she shook her head none the less. I pulled her into a side hug and we continued walking until we reached the guild building. "Ok, Gōsuto you know where the switch for the door is inside the master's office so you take point and open it up, then lead us down there." I said and he nodded but did so wearily, clearly already a bit unnerved by Lumen Historie. We walked up to the master's office and he quickly found the switch and we went down the stairs, following his lead. We keep walking until we reach a point where it's too dark to see, at which point I step forward and make a fire with my hand, using it as a torch.

We continue walking down the stairs and we finally reach the bottom, and are greeted by five ghosts; Mavis, Hades, Warrod, Makarov, and one I don't know. "Huh? What are you guys doing here? And how come I can see you? I thought only people from the guild could see you and last I checked, no one here is. And you next to Makarov who are you?" I ask them.

"I have made it to where you may see us, and that is Yury Dreyar, another of the founders of Fairy Tail." Mavis said and Makarov deadpanned at her admission looking at the one called Yury, and then he realized he was his father he never met. Ignoring his reaction, she asked, "Now Natsu, why are you here? What do you want with Lumen Historie?"

"Well for one thing why should I even tell you? We kicked your asses already and plus you're ghosts, you can't physically touch me, trust me I've seen you try." I said smugly at them and gauged their reactions, or rather their lack of reactions, and sighed, saying, "Ok, I'll tell you but regardless my answer won't matter, I'll still just take it and don't think that because you need the master of Fairy Tail to open it means that'll stop me. Since there is no true master technically until tomorrow, since Makarov died, Lumen Historie has no true master right now. Meaning I can take it if I so damn well please." I said and looked as Mavis was shocked that I knew that, I laughed at her and said, "Surprised by my knowledge on it? Don't be. Lumen Historie does not originate here in Fiore, but in a country to the west, where the two known as Esoj and Nena do, so they know everything about the thing. Including what it really is. But to answer your question, I plan on using it to kill Zeref." I said and Mavis regained her composure.

"That is a foolish idea, you don't even know where he is. And Lumen Historie is not easy to control, as they must know so do not believe that it will simply bow to you." She said making me laugh, had she no idea the planning we did?

"Oh, I know. Trust me I know. But the process for transferring ownership of it is really simple when it has no master. One must simply recite the command for it. Now watch and be completely amazed at my knowledge of it." I said and looked to Lucy and said, "open the doors." She nodded and opened them. What I saw was truly horrifying and made me feel wary of it as well. But I continued my plan and said the words Esoj said must be spoken, "Ven conmigo, el poder de los dioses. Es mío ya, no es suyo. Yo soy su maestro! Luz Divino, obedezca a su nueva maestro!" I watched as the thing shuddered and then came before me. It did nothing else but I knew it had worked, if it hadn't I would be dead according to the legend. I looked at Mavis who, along with the others looked completely shocked at my domination of it. I laughed and said to Esoj and Nena, "Excellent work you two! Now cage it and make sure it can't harm us with it's magical power for the time being. Then Gōsuto, when their done move it to your shadow dimension and leave it their until we get back to home base." They all nodded and began to work.

"Tierra!" "Jaula!" The nature duo yell and Historie is put into it's new home. Then Gōsuto comes and puts his hand to the cage and the shadows come up and engulf it whole.

"Well that's that. Now come on. We have a dark mage to find and kill." I say and turn to leave.

"Natsu I hope you know what you're doing. Zeref hasn't been killed yet because he's almost immortal. Are you sure that this will be enough? Or are you just guessing? Guessing could cost you your life you know." Mavis said and I merely scoffed at her and continued walking away, giving her a simple wave of my hand as my only response. 'Tch, what an idiot. I planned for this, and now I can taste victory. It's amazing, tastes like fire!'

We walk out of the guild and I realize something important that we almost left without realizing. "Wait! I almost forgot something, everyone follow me!" I say and they all look at me quizzically before nodding and sighing and following me.

We walk to an apartment not too far away and I say, "Ok, Gōsuto and Esoj come with me." I say and race up to the door(again he means the window) and I walk inside and see what I almost forgot, "Yes! It's still here! Ok help me get this outside!" I say and see them deadpan at what I ask them to do. I glare at them for a moment and quickly they help me move it outside.

Once outside we pick it up and walk over to Lucy and Nena, at which point Lucy yells, "NATSU! WHY DID WE WASTE OUR TIME JUST TO TAKE MY MATTRESS? ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!"

"Yeah, it's the comfiest bed I've ever slept on, I would be an idiot for leaving it here! And anyways too many memories on this bed, way too many, damn good memories…" I purr the last part in her ear, which earns me a Lucy Kick to the stomach.

"KYAAA! PERVERT! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT TALKING LIKE THAT IN PUBLIC?!" She yelled at me as her face was beet red.

I laughed and said, "Stop being such a prude, you definitely don't dress like one. Oi don't kick me again or I'll get mad!" She stopped mid kick, but not because of my words, but of who showed up.

"Natsu…is that really you?" Asked Happy, his eyes full of tears.

"Yeah buddy, it's me." I said and caught him as he flew into my arms and began crying.

"I missed you so much Natsu! I knew you couldn't have hurt Lucy, especially since you liiiiike her! Well love her but you know what I mean!" He said happily and I smiled up at him. "Natsu… I know you killed master, but I forgive you, I know you only did what was necessary."

"Thanks buddy, and hey Lucy tells me you and Charle are married now? Congrats!" I say and look at him as he beams in pride at his accomplishment. "Now, Happy I'm sorry to do this to you but I have to go…And you can't come with me just yet. I'm sorry for doing this, but it's far too dangerous and you have a family to think about, so you have to stay here and protect Charle." I said and looked at him, seeing the tears in his eyes I began to cry too and Lucy joins us as she is part of this family unit that we created. She took care of Happy when I couldn't and I will be eternally grateful for that. I look at Lucy finally and nod, she nods as well and we stand up and give Happy one last hug. "Happy we are both going to be leaving this time, please forgive us since we have to leave you, but know we will be back one day, hopefully soon. Goodbye, Happy." I said and he nods in understanding and we turn away, not wanting to see his sad face. We waved goodbye over our heads and walked fast so that we could hide our tears from him, trying to put on a strong face for him.

Lucy looks at me and puts her head in the crook of my neck and says, "Don't worry Natsu, we will be back, I promise." I nod my and smile. Then she realizes that Esoj and Nena had made a cart to carry the mattress and yelled, "NATSU! LEAVE THE DAMN MATTRESS!"

"NO WAY! I'M KEEPING THAT MATTRESS FOR LIFE!" We began to argue, but it felt oddly nice. Then I looked down and saw that I had my wedding ring on, and looked to see that she had hers on as well. That's when it hit me, 'We look like a married couple, not just two acquaintances.' I gave her my usual smile and gave her a kiss on the lips, a quick chaste one, and pulled away saying, "You know, we actually look like a married couple for once." She looked at my hand, then at hers and saw what I saw and smiled back at me and once again buried her head in the crook of my neck. We finally reached the gates of Magnolia and passed through them, leaving behind the lives that we had once lived and entering the next stage of our lives, as a married couple ready to tackle anything, be it dark mages we want to kill or the small things of life.

(POV Change to Mavis)

I look at the others masters and founders and see their stunned faces that match mine. "How did he know that..." Precht said.

"It had to be Esoj, like he said, it was not created here. It was created where Esoj was born. So of course he would be able to find the information easily." Warrod said as we all nodded.

"We can't let him just leave with it though? Can we? I mean he obviously understands what kind of power it contains. The power of the light that can eradicate all darkness. It could very well defeat Zeref himself." Makarov said and they all nodded, but I was unconvinced.

"No, it won't defeat him, it will only weaken him and cause him to lose immortality, they mean to still fight with him. They will try and kill him." I said and they all looked at me.

"Well then we can't just let that punk leave. Damn my boy, didn't you raise him?" Yury said as he looked at our son.

"Yes, but I failed like I did with my own son who was flesh and blood. I truly am a miserable father." Makarov said as depression took hold and showed on his face.

"We will have to let it be for now Yury. And it's not your fault, sixth master, rather it was everyone's fault. The guild members all contributed to this situation and they will help fix it. We must help them train and prepare for the rematch, it will be in one year's time. By then he will have found and defeated Zeref and then all we have to worry about is helping him see the light again." I say and they all nod. "Come, we have the remains of a guild to put back together, let's go." We all turn and leave the place of our most harrowed secret, well at least the former resting place of it.

A Week Later (Gray POV)

I woke with a jolt and immediately felt my whole body in pain, and I immediately fell back down on the bed. When I did I looked up and saw the ceiling was not of my house but of the infirmary, and I wondered, 'What happened? Ugh, my body hurts. Where's Juvia?' I sit up and lean against the wall my bed is against and look around, I see Porlyusica and ask, "Hey old lady, what happened, why am I here? Where's Juvia, my wife? You know blue hair, blue eyes. She's hard to miss."

She looks at me with concern and sighs sadly, "Erza, the young one has awoken. Please deal with him. The old one and the metal one are still out cold as is the master, so please be gentle. I have to go and check on the bald one's back." She said as Erza entered the room. That's when I look around and see more of the room and find Gajeel, Laxus, and Gildarts all in the room as well, sleeping.

"Oi, Erza, why are they all here too? Where's Juvia?" I ask and Erza can only sigh deeply and look at me.

"Gray, can you remember anything from last week?" She asks and I shake my head no, because oddly enough I can only remember getting married. She sighs and says, "Gray, you're wedding was attacked as it finished, and then we fought with the group that was terrorizing us, you know the one led by Natsu and Lucy. You fought with Gildarts, Cana, and Juvia. Unfortunately, you guys lost, and Lucy… she… she killed Juvia during you battle, I'm so sorry."

When she said the last part, the memories flooded my mind, the image of holding Juvia's hand during the wedding and placing the ring on her finger, the battle, my inability to fight at full power, and…holding onto Juvia's hat. I look and see the hat next to me and I yell out, "NOOOOOOO! JUVIA! NO NO NO! IT CAN'T BE! WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE IS SHE?!" My eyes change into their demon slayer form and I try and get up and Erza tries to stop me. "NO LET ME GO! I KNOW SHE'S ALIVE! I KNOW IT! LET ME GO SO I CAN FIND LUCY! SHE KNOWS WHERE SHE IS! LET ME GO DAMMIT!" I shake Erza off me and make for the door.

"Stop him!" She yells out and suddenly Elfman, Doranbolt, Bickslow, Jellal, and Freed are in front of me, the latter creating runes as quickly as he can to trap me. I freeze him temporarily but that is as far I get in knocking them out as the others quickly pounce on me and I can no longer move from their dog pile. "Gray, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but we don't even know where they went. They left almost immediately after the fights. I'm also sorry for having to do this to you too." And suddenly I felt her fist hit me on the head and I was unconscious. As I drifted to unconsciousness I realized the truth. 'Again, the people I love are killed. Juvia forgive me! I killed you! JUVIA!' and with that I fell into unconsciousness, laying on the floor a widow and alone once more..

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**A/N: So sad! Poor Gray! He didn't even strip he was so caught off guard! But at least Natsu and Lucy get to enjoy each other's company. And they really will tomorrow. HAHAHAHAHA!**

**Natsu: Wait, you don't mean…**

**Lucy: KYAAA!**

**That's right! Tomorrow is their lemon day! (All their fans who like smut cheer loudly) HAHAHAHA! Yup tomorrow is the day! So get ready! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: That was…

**A/N: First quick shout out to brucie86, aka the Guest, Ken106348, GrayBlueEyedBelle, and sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for their reviews! AND to Ari Megurine for the follow and favorite, and to zack0zack for the follow. NOW HERE IT COMES! TIME FOR THE CITRUS! I'll have disclaimers when it starts and ends, so if you wanna skip then look for these ***** and then skip. If not then get the lube and the tissues ready, or whatever you use, because here we go! (NOT RIGHT AWAY)**

**Natsu & Lucy: NOOOO!**

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Back to the Night After the Battles (Natsu POV)

"Hey, look a hotel!" I say and everyone cheers as we can finally stop and rest for the day. "Yoosh! Let's stay here!" We walk in and I walk up to the check in desk and say, "I'm going to need four rooms, all single beds. Quality doesn't really matter."

Everyone else groans at the last part and Lucy immediately realizes how many rooms I asked for and quickly says to the check-in lady, "Ummm, if you can just give us our key and theirs separately, that would be great!" The lady nods and hands us our key and suddenly I'm dragged away by Lucy, the cart with the mattress not far behind. We reach our room and find it's rather large and extremely nice. Lucy then stops us and whispers in my ear, "This room is perfect for some… fun."

***** HERE WE GO*****

I turn around and pin Lucy to the wall and kiss her lips hard. She moans into my lips and runs one of her hands through my hair and I do the same, tilting her head back to deepen the kiss. I prod her lips with my tongue, begging her to let me in and she obliges, both of us moaning as the sensation. I explore every part of her mouth and make sure I get every crevice of her mouth. I pull back only to begin trailing kisses down her neck to where her neck and shoulder meet and then back up again. "Natsu" she moans and I feel my pants tightening, my cock now very erect and almost throbbing from the hardness, 'Gods, it's been almost six months since we did this!'

I then suck on the spot on her neck I was kissing and leave a mark there, causing her to moan "AH! NATSU!" loudly and I do it again, getting the same reaction again. I pull back for air and she whimpers at the loss of my mouth on her skin. I laugh at her reaction as I strip my shirt, "Someone's horny, huh Luce?"

She leans in close to my ear and says in her voice that is full of lust, "More than you can imagine." I look at her and see the lust in her eyes and immediately lunge forward and begin kissing her again, my tongue sliding into her waiting mouth and our tongues dance, each of us wanting dominance this time. I win and begin exploring her mouth again, and I feel her hand exploring my body. I reach around and grip her ass firmly causing her to gasp at the sudden grab, she quickly recovers and jumps up a little, latching her legs around my hips. She pulls back and it's my turn to whimper for a moment before I see her stripping her shirt and I help her get it off by burning it off, knowing she wouldn't be hurt by flames.

She then quickly works on her bra but I stop her and whisper huskily into her ear, "I got this." I quickly undo the clasp on the bra and push her up a little bit so I have easy access to her breasts. I begin trailing kisses down her chest, in the valley between her breast and make them sloppy and wet. I continue trailing my kisses and bring my left hand up from her ass and grip her breast on the same side. She moans at the contact and I begin groping and massaging her breast, while with my mouth I move to the other one and begin kissing her breast before claiming it with my mouth and sucking on the nipple.

I begin working on the other nipple, kneading it roughly and she yells very loudly, "AH! NATSU! AH!" I smirk at her reaction and bite down on her nipple gently causing her hand in my hair to grip the hair more tightly than before. Not wanting to waste any more time I begin making my way to the bed but instead see our bed mattress and go to it and kick it off the cart and onto the floor, dropping her on top of it. "Huh?" She asks at being dropped on the mattress and I don't respond, instead I pounce on her and claim her lips again, causing her to moan. I begin trailing kisses down her body until I reach her navel and I reach up and grab her skirt belt and rip it off. I then quickly slide her skirt off and begin kissing her inner thighs, going up and down them. "AH! NATSU! STOP TEASING!"

I grin at her reaction and begin kissing her vagina, with her panties on and fell just how wet she is. 'Damn, she really is in the mood, better give her what she wants before she loses the desire.' I quickly pull back for a moment and pull off her panties and throw them aside and begin rubbing her clit, eliciting a moan from her. Bring my mouth down on the bundle of nerves and begin sucking on them, while I insert a finger into her vagina. She yells at the sensation and grabs my hair so I can't move, and I get the message and begin licking her vagina while inserting a second finger eliciting an even louder yell from her. "NATSU! GODS YES! YES!" I begin to work faster and hit a certain spot that causes her to yell so loud someone at Fairy Tail could probably hear her.

At The Guild (Levy POV)

'Huh what was that? I could have sworn I just heard Lucy yell…'

(POV Change back to Natsu)

I begin to pump my fingers even faster and add a third, hitting that same spot over and over again, and she yells out, "AH! YES! NATSU!" and I feel her walls tighten around my fingers and she begins her orgasm. I lap up the juices that are my favorite juices, the ones that come from her, and I don't miss a single drop. I look up at her face and see the lust still in her eyes and quickly rip off my pants and boxers. When I do so, Lucy immediately jumps me as I had to kneel to get the all the way off. She grabs my cock and begins to trail kisses down it, eliciting a moan from me as I put my hand in her hair. She then takes my cock into her mouth and goes all the way down somehow, causing me to moan loudly and thrust my hips forward. She gags a bit and has to pull back to catch her breath, "Sorry been a while." I say.

"It's ok." She says and immediately takes my cock all the way down again and it takes every bit of control to not thrust forward. She then begins bobbing up and down my cock and I moan every time she goes down. She hums at my reactions, the vibrations causing me to feel even more pleasure and moan even louder. She builds up a good pace that's not too slow nor too fast, just the perfect speed that practice had made perfect.

I feel the coiling of my stomach that means I'm close, and I say breathlessly, "Luc-luce…I'm-I'm…AH!" I come into her mouth and she swallows all of it and pulls her mouth off of my cock, smiling at me seductively and I look back down at her and notice my cock is still very hard. "So that's what six months with no sex does to a guy."

"Oh so you're still good right? Good because there's something I want to try." She says and I look at her before she turns around and says, "Anal."

My eyes go wide and I nod my head and gulp loudly, 'Shit, this is gonna be real tight, especially since it's the first time.' I position my cock at her entrance and ask her, "Are ya Luce?" The only response I get is her grabbing my cock and putting it in herself and I grunt at the tightness, almost coming after entering. "Shiiiiit! It's tight." I wait a moment as I notice she had tensed up and was probably in some pain, even though I had only gone in about four inches. I wait until she leans back a bit and pushes me in further and I finish pushing in and fill her ass with my nine inch cock. She moans at being so full and I grunt as I pull out slowly and then push back in quickly. I begin working up a good pace and feel her beginning to match my thrust with her own, both of us now moaning each others name's loudly. I feel the coiling sensation from before again and know I'm close. "Luce, I'm gonna come!"

"ME TOO! AAAAHHH!" And we both come together, me shooting loads into her ass and her ass walls clenching around my cock. We ride out the orgasms and then I pull out and fall on top of her, exhausted. I roll to the side and am face to face with her now and see that she is tired too.

"Let's go to sleep. I'm really tired now. More so than after the battles. Man! That was…"

"That was the best time EVER." Lucy said as she turned around so we could spoon and cuddle, and soon we were both asleep and happy, content that we could be like this once more.

******* END LEMON********

(POV Change to Esoj)

I sit and listen, mortified that they had the audacity to be so loud and be so open about it. "Man, I never took Lucy to be that kind of screamer, that almost made me deaf!" I said as Nena nodded at me.

"Yeah but at least their done, gods I never thought they would stop. That took almost an hour! Oh, hey I just remembered, we should probably call Rames and the General to check in with them." She said and I nodded pulling out the lacrima we had kept separate so we didn't have to constantly retune it to the correct frequency.

"Oi, Rames, you there? Esoj calling Rames. Come in Rames." I said and waited, hoping nothing had happened to him.

What I got instead was a voice I had not heard in five years, "Yes, hello this is Dr. Rames speaking."

I looked at Nena in shock as she shrugged and motioned for me to keep going. "Ummm, Dr. Rua, is that you?" I ask hesitantly and wait for an answer.

"Yes and no, I am technically that Dr. Rua you know, but my name is now Rames-Rua." She responded matter of factly.

I blanched at her statement before yelling, "You married that idiot!" Nena looked just as surprised as I was and when I looked at her she just shrugged.

"Yes, I married Marco. Well Rames but I call him Marco. We got married six months ago." It all made sense now, they had gotten married recently and somehow that idiot had been tamed by a doctor that seemed more interested in science than romance. "I always thought he was a good looking male you know, it was just that I had never been in an actually serious relationship before and knew nothing of romance. That's why you never saw this coming, as I suspect you didn't." She said so matter of factly that I deadpanned and sweat dropped at the same time.

"Ummm, ok. Uh is Rames there doc?" I asked and heard shuffling in the background.

"Yeah, yeah I'm here. Hey honey get dressed so we can get ready to go to dinner, ok?" He asked and I heard him kiss her, she sighed and I heard more shuffling as she got up. When I heard no more shuffling he continued, "Ok, so what's up? Any progress to report?"

"Yes, actually, there is good news. We found it and have secured it." I said.

Rames then got up as I heard a chair hit the floor before he asked, "Shit, are you serious man? Don't be lying here, ese, this is serious."

"Yes I'm serious and I'm sure it's it. The ownership transfer worked and it matched the description we found, we really found it! Where are so I can talk to the General?" I asked him.

"Actually it's a good thing you called, we're her n Fiore as well now. We were coming to get more supplies and just got to a town where we can find some." He said and both me and Nena nod and smile, knowing an old friend is near now.

"What town are you two in?" I asked.

"In a town called Naito, it's in the western part of Fiore." He says as I smile even wider.

"Perfect! That ironically enough is where we're headed ourselves! Wait for us there and we'll meet you guys there!" I said excitedly, Naito is Gōsuto's hometown and had become our base of operations since we had met up not too far from there.

"Ok, sounds like a plan, ese! Hey the General wants you two to know that everything is going well, Mar is really saving lives out there and we have begun to rebuild now. And we had the first batch of kids getting ready to go to school! Life's finally beginning to look up for us. See you guys there, I gotta go because as you can tell, I got a date! Adios!" He said and I replied the same way.

"Wow, there already restarting school for the kids… Life is really starting to look up." I say to Nena and she nods happily at me.

"OH! One last thing, we have a guest with us too and he's dying to see ya. Come on little guy go ahead, he's waiting. Come on now we don't have all day." He said and I heard shuffling, I waited anxiously for whoever it was because I had a hunch on who it was.

"Daddy? Mommy?" I hear a child's voice and I begin to cry tears of joy.

"Yes E.J., it's us, it's mommy and daddy." And I hear Nena choking up as we hear our son speak to us, for me it's the first time as I had to leave before he was born.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" He yells in delight causing me to choke up and almost start bawling my eyes out.

I maintain my composure and say to him, "Yes, E.J., yes it's really us! Nena say something!"

"Mijito! Oh, mijito are you alright? Are you eating well, are you being a good boy?" She asked in between sobs and did so very quickly, barely able to speak due to her tears of joy.

"Yes mommy! Is what you said true? Am I going to see you two soon?" He asked and I was proud at how educated he sounded.

"Yes my son. We will see each other in about three days, or less. Hopefully less." I replied and had to blink furiously to hold back my tears.

"OK! I'm waiting then! I'll see you soon daddy! Mommy! I have to leave now, or so uncle Rames says. Bye!" He said.

"Ok, bye E.J.! I'll see you soon!" I said and heard static as he turned off his lacrima, which I did the same to ours. I looked to Nena and saw her crying and I soon joined her, pulling her into an embrace and we stayed like this for a while before I said, "That was…"

"The greatest moment of my life." She said and I simply nodded my head and held onto her lovingly. 'In three days or less, I'll get to meet my son, hopefully he doesn't hate me.'

I sighed deeply and said "Come on, we should sleep so we can wake up and get on the train tomorrow, and be even closer to getting to see our son." I said and she nodded at me and we both lied down and quickly fell asleep in each others arms, as I thought to myself, 'In three days or less, I'll officially become a dad, I can't wait!' As I drifted asleep, my thoughts were consumed by him, as were dreams which were of the reunion, and all of the dreams that night were good ones.

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**A/N: Whew! What a day! What a lemon! What a week! But it's over now, well at least that lemon is, there will be more to come.**

**Natsu & Lucy: MORE?!**

**Yup but I don't know who yet, probably you guys again. But if you guys have any suggestions let me know and I might do it, write it I mean. Hahaha! And to those who want me to describe Lumen Historie, I will not do it. I have absolutely no clue what it is and would have no idea how to do it. And since technically it's still a mystery in the manga, which is way ahead of the anime, I won't even attempt to describe it for fear of feeling like a fool when I'm undoubtedly wrong. So that's that. Now remember, PLEASE READ(especially if you have no clue who Rames is, I updated he first chapter and that's where he's introduced) AND REVIEW, REVIEW, AND REVIEW AGAIN! ADIOS!**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: What…

**A/N: Hello my faithful readers! Shout out time! The first one goes to jojoinuyasha for the follow of my story, welcome to the family! And the rest go to the reviews by brucie86, Ken106348, sashaXmafuyuFOREVER, and GrayBlueEyedBelle, you guys are consistent and awesome! Love you guys! Now on with the story, ENJOY! Chapter 30, wow we are far along, but not quite near completion, so keep on reading! PLEASE ENJOY!**

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The Next Morning (Natsu POV)

I wake up and immediately want to go back to sleep, 'This is the damn comfiest mattress in the world. I'm glad I took it with me.' I check the clock lacrima and see that it is around ten in the morning and look to see Lucy dead asleep. 'Huh? She's still asleep? She's usually up, if not even already writing at this time. No wonder it's so late, she usually wakes me up in the best way possible in the morning but she's still asleep. I should wake her up we have some distance to cover.'

"Hey Luce, wake up, it's really late already." Instead of her slapping me for trying to wake her or her jolting awake, she simply cuddles into me more and buries herself in the covers more. She mumbles something along the lines of letting her fucking sleep and I knew something was wrong. She never was this rude after sex, she was usually energetic and bubbly, and slightly aroused too but she would never admit it. "Luce, are you okay? Did we go too hard last night?"

I look at her face as she blushes a bit and stutters, "N-n-n-no…" She finally begins to get up and looks at me and I see her face, she looks completely drained and I grab her shoulders and stare into her eyes intently. She sighs knowing the jig's up and she says, "I'm really tired from my battle…"

"Why, you barely went hard and finished before I did. What else happened?" I say and continue to look at her.

"I… I used Celestial Beam: TD." I admitted and my eyes grew wide in understanding of what that meant and who she had used it on.

"WHAT?! That's extremely dangerous Luce! You know what Arthur said, you should never use that variation! Did you release it yet?" I asked very concerned and already knew the answer to my question.

"No. I haven't yet." She said and I wasn't surprised at all. If she had she wouldn't be dead tired.

I sigh and yell out, "Gōsuto! Come here please!"

Lucy looks at me and punches my arm, saying, "Baka! I can't release it in there! Lumen Historie is in there! We don't know what it'll do if I release it in there!"

I sigh as Gōsuto walks in, asking, "You need somethin' Boss?"

"Yes. You can create multiple dimensions with shadows correct?" I asked.

He nods his head saying, "Yeah, why? Need another dimension to dump something into? So long as it's not open long it should be fine, it does drain my magic however, so anything over a week would be bad for me."

I nod and look at Lucy and say, "See, it'll be fine. Now get ready to release TD and Gōsuto open up a dimension. It'll need to be open until we reach home, then you can release it." They both nod and get into position.

"Celestial Beam: TD! Release!" Lucy yells and magic flows from her hand and into Gōsuto's shadow dimension. Inside a thud is heard and I look and see nothing went wrong, and then see Lucy fall down. I rush to her side, worried. "It's ok Natsu. I'm just exhausted, releasing it uses more magic than casting it so it's only gonna be temporary, especially after last night."

"Oh, yeah I heard you guys. Man you are loud moaners. Kekekekeke!" Gōsuto said as he turned and left waving at two tomatoes, one blonde haired the other pink haired.

"SHUT UP!" I yell as I hear him laughing and shut the door. I look at Lucy and see she is extremely red but exhausted as well and I sigh, saying, "You're in no condition to travel. The two of us will stay behind a day so you can rest, the others will go on ahead, and no 'buts'! This is final." I say and she weakly nods and goes back to sleep, snoring lightly and I can't help but smirk at her and wonder, 'How did I get so lucky to marry the most beautiful person in the world?' I lean down and kiss her forehead and go into the hallway to tell the others to go on ahead of us, but they are already outside waiting. "Oh, eavesdropping are we?"

"No, just waiting for your lazy asses. Come on! We got news last night that a friend of ours is at the home base and he brought our son! We need to go!" Nena says and I feel bad about making them wait so long to hear this.

"Oh, sorry. Listen Luce's not feeling too well so we are gonna hang back a day and let her rest, but you guys are gonna go ahead. So go, skedaddle! Scoot!" I say and immediately Nena and Esoj are gone, Gōsuto nods soon after and follows after them. I turn around and walk back into the room and lie down next to Lucy and we begin cuddling. "Best bed ever. Goodnight Luce." She giggles a bit and buries herself in my arms and begins snoring again. I smile and kiss her head and begin to drift back to sleep. Before I do I wonder to myself, 'You know I didn't see the guys who retired at the wedding, wonder where they were? And how is the guild holding up, wait? Why do I care?' as I finish my thoughts I drift to sleep and let my dreams be filled of Lucy, all of which were replays of last night or ways last night could have been different.

(POV Change to Macao)

I walk home after a much longer than anticipated journey to get the certifications to teach, "They are going to kill us for missing the wedding you know." Wakaba says and I nod as our group of six do the same. While Warren and Max weren't going to be teachers, they had come along to get a mini-vacation before the very long one we had planned.

"Yeah, I hope nobody died while we were gone. That would be a shame, am I right?" I joked and we all laughed, as no one in the guild of any importance had died in years, not since Yury Dreyar.

"Yeah, like that'll ever happen, Kami is with them all the time. Death could never touch them, at least not so suddenly." Max added and we all had to nod, lady luck was always with Fairy Tail.

We walk into town, passing the southern gate and are immediately greeted by Doranbolt, "WHERE WERE YOU GUYS?!" He asks and we all look at him like he's crazy.

"Oi, calm down man. Where's the fire?" I ask and we all become very tense at the look he gives us.

"So, you don't know yet… Come to the guild. Now." He says seriously and we grab hold of him as he uses his magic and teleports us there.

We immediately all gasp as we see the state the guild's in, the doors are open, people are running around like chickens with their heads cut off, Porlyusica is there, and there are magic enforcement officer as well. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" We all yell simultaneously and Doranbolt simply sighs and motions us to follow him.

We do and enter the guild and see Lamia Scale all there, and I mean the entire guild is here. I see the new chairman of the council there as well and I see others there as well. I look to the upstairs area and see many doctors along with Porlyusica there and they are all scurrying about like mice. He brings over to the few guild members that I see, which are the exceeds and Levy. They see us and immediately Levy gets up and smacks the person in front of the group in the face, which is me. "WHERE HAVE YOU IDIOTS BEEN?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE?!" She yelled as we all shook our heads and looked at her quizzically. She stepped back a bit now as I rubbed my cheek as she sighs and tells the story.

"Ok, so the wedding began like normal, and it went well all the way to the very end. Then as the wedding ended, and I mean just ended, the group that had been terrorizing us appeared and crashed it. Then they took the couple hostage and Lisanna as well." At the mention of Lisanna as a hostage we all looked at her questioningly and I was about to say something before Levy stopped me and continued, "They took Lisanna and told her to tell everyone the truth of what happened five years ago. So she did and it turns out she was the one who attacked Lucy five years ago not Natsu as she got jealous that they were secretly going out." At the last part we deadpanned and looked at her in shock, unable to move or speak. "Yes it's true, but then they let her go, but when they did someone else stepped out and then… then he executed her gruesomely." She struggled to say the last part and we all looked like ghosts, our faces paling and our hearts dropping, but still there was more, "The person who did it… it was Natsu…"

"WHAT?!" We all yelled out so loud that even Natsu probably heard us.

(POV Change back to Natsu) 

"Huh… what was that" I say between yawns now awake, "I swore I heard a loud what?"

"Go back to sleep Natsu, I'm still tired and if you behave we'll have sex tonight." I was asleep in a second.

(POV Change back to Macao)

She nodded and continued, 'What? There's more?' "Then Elfman and Mira attacked him, but were stopped and sent flying by… Lucy." We all went as rigid as rocks and looked at her in disbelief. "Yes, that is also true, then they explained that it was indeed because we drove Natsu away that they did this to us. It turns out Lucy had been using a psychic projection to relay information to them and had been against us for a while. Then Natsu announced that there would be five battles; and that if we won, they would surrender themselves to the council or if they won they would simply be allowed to leave."

"So we won right? That's why the council people are here, right?" Droy asked, but Levy simply shook her head.

"No… they beat all of the fighters we sent thoroughly, that's why the doctors are here. We couldn't do enough to help them… They were in pretty bad shape after the battles." She said and we looked at her in shock, never before had Fairy Tail been trounced so easily as she said they were. Sure after a long battle maybe, but not since we all split up and there was just us there running the guild, all the losers, were we beaten like this and I don't even consider those years to be of any significance or even as truly Fairy Tail really. That Fairy Tail was a fake Fairy Tail.

"But no one died right?" Jet asked the question that seemed to be something we never would have believed before.

Levy hesitated and looked away, and our faces somehow went even more pale, see through almost we had lost so much color. "No, no way. Who?" Wakaba asked as his pipe had almost fallen out of his mouth now.

Levy looked at us and we saw tears falling from her eyes as she choked out, "Warrod… J-Ju-Juvi-vi-via… and-and…"

She tried her best to finish, but failed and was saved by Doranbolt who came and just about killed me from the sadness of it all as he said, "And master. Master Makarov, Juvia, and Warrod were killed." I looked at him as my jaw hung open and I heard a thud as Jet and Droy hit the floor, and tears falling as Max and Warren were now crying, and the tink sound of Wakaba's pipe hitting the ground, and I could all of our hearts shattering at the same time.

"Yes, it's true…" He said as tears stained his eyes as well. He had been taken in by the man who's guild he had wished to disband and treated like he was a son immediately. He had done similar things for everyone, he had opened his home aka the guild and took in anyone who needed a home and made them feel like his children, he was like a father to us all and well, to me and Wakaba, he was like an older brother really since he wasn't that much older than us.

I feel tears streaming out of my eyes as finally I manage words, "What…" and I could manage nothing else as I simply stared at the people gathered before us as Romeo walked down from the second floor.

He saw me and immediately gave me a hug, his tears now joining mine. I then feel everyone begin to hug me and Romeo and soon enough all the remaining guild members who are actually conscious are in this hug, letting the emotions flow out of them as we all attempted to comfort one another, but were failing miserably. The guild as we knew it was dead, now all that was left was this shell we were no longer apart of, and that oddly enough was somewhat comforting. I guess since I won't have to deal with this every day and deal with the sadness on a consistent basis. At least there was that small comfort.

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**A/N: Short chapter, sorry about that! No really I am! Usually I get some writing if not all the writing the night before then clean it up the next day, but yesterday I got busy. SORRY, THAT IS NO EXCUSE SO BLAME LIFE! Or is it that you blame yourself… Oh well. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Awakening

**A/N: Hey there people! So for those who read the reviews(ME) you may have seen a theory that Juvia's not actually dead but now in the shadow dimension that Lucy dumped her magic into, (Theory by brucie86, SHOUT OUT!) so I wanna get your responses. To do this I created a poll on my profile so go check it out! It'll close in one week so don't wait! Also shout out to sashaXmafuyuForver for the review and Natsu would need a brain to think with his actual head. Enjoy Chapter 31!**

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The Next Day Guild Infirmary (Wendy POV)

I open my eyes and let out a blood curling scream as I look around, the last nightmare was really bad. "Wendy what's wrong?" Asked a very masculine voice and I turn to see Doranbolt looking at me very concerned. 'Wait. Where am I?' I look around and find that I'm in the infirmary, not at home.

"Why am I in the infirmary, Doran?" I ask as he looks at me confused before he realizes that I don't actually remember the past few days.

"Do you remember anything of the past few days? What's the last thing you remember?" He asks very concerned which in turn worried me.

"Ummm… Oh, yeah the wedding." I said and suddenly the entire day hits me like a ton of bricks. I begin to shake and mutter almost incoherently, "No, no! don't touch me! Don't hurt me… No… stop…"

"Wendy!" He yells and embraces me trying to calm me down as the tears start to fall to quickly and rapidly down my cheeks and onto his shoulders and chest.

I look and see a shadow and immediately start yelling crazily, "No! GET HIM AWAY FROM ME! NO! NO! NO! GET AWAY!" I look at my hands and arms and see blood that isn't really there anymore. It was when I was attacked and the shadows reminded me of him, my tormentor and attacker. Gōsuto.

"Wendy! Calm down, shhh, shhh, shhh no one's here but me it's ok. I'm here and that's all. He's not here, he won't hurt you again. I promise. Shhh. I'm here babe." Doranbolt coos into my ear, but I don't hear him as I continue with my panic attack and mental breakdown. I was a mess, and no amount of comforting was going to fix that right now.

Porlyusica comes in and looks genuinely concerned for me. She walks over to me and joins Doranbolt in hugging me and says softly, "It's ok child, he's right, no one but us is here. Shhh relax my child and rest, you have been unconscious for two days now. You need to rest and then deal with your inner demons, not the other way around. Rest my child, get some sleep, lords know you need it. Now rest, that's an order." She said and I looked at her and she had tears staining her eyes as well as she looked at me and was saddened by the state I was in.

I took a deep breath, feeling I needed to put a brave face on for the woman that was my mother's counterpart from Edolas and who had taken a certain interest in me. "Thank you Porlyusica-san. I will do so now. Doran, you can leave its ok, thank you for watching over me and comforting me, go and rest please. You look like a mess babe." I say and kiss him on the cheek and lay back down, smiling at him, trying not to cry again.

He looks at me skeptically, but sighs and says, "Ok, please rest up and listen to Porlyusica. Please? I want to be able to take you home soon, ok babe?" He asked and I nodded at him and smiled up at him. He then bent down and placed a sweet kiss, a one that says I love you, get well soon, on my forehead and he left the room.

"Child, do try and rest. Please. I know many people are wishing for you to get well soon, so try and help yourself as well. Don't try and push it just yet and don't go in any dark rooms or rooms with a lot of shadows, that won't help you. Sleep well young one." Porlyusica said and I watched as she left, the door closed and immediately the fake smile I had plastered on left and I knew I looked very depressed and sullen. Hopeless really.

'I'm a mess. And I don't know if I'll ever recover this time.' I think to myself and felt the tears escape my eyes, and I turn my head into the pillow and cry into it. And continue to do so until I finally fall asleep, having thought the entire time, 'I probably won't recover this time.'

(POV Change to Porlyusica)

Close the door and slump down to the floor and begin to cry, by myself in the middle of our now makeshift hospital, 'Sorry Grandine, I failed. I couldn't help her or protect her, I'm so sorry.' I pull my knees up to my chest and begin to cry harder, squeezing my knees and feeling sorry for myself. 'Gold and me. That's it from my generation of Fairy Tail members, that's it for those I considered my friends. And Makarov, oh poor Makarov and his grandchild and his family. I'm so old and weak that I could do nothing for him as he, as he… as he died. He died and I didn't know right away or how. I'm such a fool and so weak… This is why I don't hate humans, but myself.' I hear footsteps and see the young man that was with Wendy and has been since she was brought in here except for when I kicked him out. He looked worried, uh-oh, "What now?" I ask pointedly and look at him, very annoyed now by all this craziness that had surrounded the guild as of late.

"It's Jellal. The other blue haired one. He's waking up now, and I think he's almost fully awake now. You should check on him he got beat up pretty hard and used a lot of magic, I think. He looks pretty pale and like he got drained or something." He said and I was up quickly and off to do my job, helping people who are sick or hurt, 'If I can't change the past then I'll protect the future.'

I walk into Jellal's room and see him up and awake now but he still looked exhausted as well. I look at him and ask, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, extremely so. But other than that I feel fine, maybe a bit sore though. Where are Erza and Wendy? Are they alright? I can already tell we lost since there's no partying going on, so how are the others? And don't spare any details, I can handle it and want to know exactly what happened." He said and looked at me with a look of determination that made me feel better about everything, as he looked like a true member of Fairy Tail now. It made me feel like there was still hope.

"Ok, just know it's pretty gruesome. You and your wife got the least amount of damage done to them. Your wife is still unconscious in the next room and Wendy is a bit shaken right now. Mirajane and Elfman are no too bad, they are just simply recovering from being suffocated to unconsciousness. Now onto the more serious cases, the one called Jura had several vertebrae broken along with nearly all his magic being drained from him. We were able to save his ability to walk however so he will recover. His partner, Lyon, sustained a number of third degree burns all over hi upper body, which have now left him scarred and will leave him scarred forever. He will never look the same. Gray and Gildarts were very badly beaten up, they had broken bones, bruises, internal bleeding, and lost a lot of blood because of it, they barely survived their wounds. Laxus and Gajeel both had their skull broken open and lost a lot of blood as well, they barely made it, and Laxus had two different fractures on his skull that will leave a new scar now. And Cana has a broken shoulder, clavicle, arm, and shoulder blade, along with the shoulder being so badly dislocated it tore all the tendons and muscles in her shoulder. Her career as a card mage is over now. She'll be lucky if she can even write again." I finished my report and saw his look of shock of how badly the guild was beaten up this time.

Then his eyes grew wide and he asked very concerned again, "What about Warrod, Juvia, and Master?"

I feared he would ask this and I looked down, not able to meet his eyes as I said, "They did not survive their battles. They were killed by the enemy. Natsu killed master, Lucy killed Juvia, and the one called Padre killed Warrod." I said and was able to finally meet his eyes and saw the tears in his eyes that were causing me to join him as well. It was the first time I had actually said this and it hurt me, it hurt a lot.

"No… Natsu and Lucy? I-I-I can't even comprehend that." He said and let a tear fall, wiping it away. "I'm going to go and rest in Erza's room now, so she won't be alone when she wakes up. If you'll excuse me." He said and stood and walked out of the room, leaving me and my tears that were now on my cheeks, alone, like I always was.

"Stop moping around, you have a guild to help run. That's what you would say if the situations were reversed I do believe." I heard the voice but could not believe it and turned to see indeed that the owner was none other than Makarov, but not just Makarov was there. Makarov, Rob, Bob, Gold who was the only one alive among the men, and Yajima were all there. And they all were looking at me with a face that seemed perfect for them, one of happiness and of kinship. "So stop moping and listen up, I can't keep the others here long and Gold has official guild business to deal with. So listen up. The guild needs you to be strong and to be a light and guide for it now. Fairy Tail has lost it's way and Laxus can help get it back on the right track, given he has the support of a good advisor, which needs to be you. Also you'll need to move in closer with the rest of the guild, you're too far away as it stands, and they'll need your medical help a lot as they train for the rematch in one year. While I may not be the master anymore, Laxus is and has been since yesterday, you still must obey my order as it is a very poor idea to upset a ghost. They will haunt you, you know." He said as he smiled at me and I felt my heart lifting, being repaired by his words, something he was always very good at when he was alive.

"Yeah Porlyusica-kun! The young men of the guild would really like to see such a mature women helping them. Makarov are you sure I can't stay longer? Or maybe haunt the boy's bath house…" Bob asked and was about to say more.

Thankfully Rob cut in and yelled at him, "NO! Gods you pervert leave the young ones alone they are the future of this guild! But yes Porly, they will need your help, especially the one named Erza, she has suffered a great mental defeat. She will need your help in remembering what grants a mage strength!" He looked at me and nodded.

"I concur with them both. And they will need help cooking as well! I know you can't cook as well as me but you're not half bad!" Yajima added as I glared at him and his obsession of cooking, he really did love to cook.

"Yeah, and I don't really get along too well with Laxus, so I'm gonna need your help when I deal with him, so yeah help him out please!" Gold said and they all looked at me and smiled the smile that had gotten me to break out of my shell of exclusion and allowed me to open up to them.

"So what do you say? Will you do it Porlyusica?" Makarov said and looked at me.

I sighed and said, "Fine, but it will be hard. I really hate you damn humans!" I said and they all broke out laughing, me joining with them and for the first time in years, I felt good and felt young again. 'Maybe these next few years of life, which were definitely my last as I could tell, could be just what I needed, a chance to atone for my shortcomings.' I smiled at them and they began to fade away, going back to the afterlife.

They then all gave Gold and I the farewell salute, as Gold and I stood side by side and saluted them back, putting our right hand up in an L shape and turned our hands so the back of it faced them. We smiled at them and watched as they left us, probably for the last time until we die. I sigh and say to Gold, "So when are you leaving? You bother me too much." He deadpans at me and looks at me like I'm crazy. "What I said I would play nice when you were here on business, not for comforting crazy old women." I said as I smirked at him.

He smirked back at me and left waving back at me, saying, "Whatever ya old hag. See you around."

I watched as he left and I thought to myself, 'Yes. This is what I must do. I have found a new purpose in life, and it is to help return the guild to it's former self, and I know this is going to be my last job. Thank you Makarov, you have given this old hag hope once more.'

(POV Change to Erza)

I open my eyes and blink rapidly before my eyes adjust and I see that I'm in the infirmary. I immediately hear someone say, "Oh you're awake finally. Good to see you awake. I missed you." I turn and see Jellal, who looks exhausted and looks like he was hit by a train or something, I try and get up but feel so sore I struggle to do so. "Whoa there! Wait and rest, it's alright now, no need to worry, we won't be attacked any time soon."

I look at him and remember that we had been in a battle together, and we had lost, my fists clenched together in frustration. "Did the other groups win?" I ask and look at him expecting him to say yes, but still had my fists clenched at the memory of losing. "How are the others?"

I hear the door open and see Porlyusica come in, immediately she responds. "Well, Wendy is a bit shaken right now and is sleeping in her room. Mirajane and Elfman are no too bad, they are just simply recovering from being suffocated to unconsciousness. Now there are more serious cases, take the one called Jura for example, he had several vertebrae broken along with nearly all his magic being drained from him. We were able to save his ability to walk however so he will recover. His partner, Lyon, sustained a number of third degree burns all over his upper body, which have now left him scarred and will leave him scarred forever. He will never look the same. Gray and Gildarts were very badly beaten up, they had broken bones, bruises, internal bleeding, and lost a lot of blood because of it, they barely survived their wounds. Laxus and Gajeel both had their skull broken open and lost a lot of blood as well, they barely made it, and Laxus had two different fractures on his skull that will leave a new scar now. And Cana has a broken shoulder, clavicle, arm, and shoulder blade, along with the shoulder being so badly dislocated it tore all the tendons and muscles in her shoulder. Her career as a card mage is over now. She'll be lucky if she can even write again." She said and I looked at her in shock unable to comprehend just how we were beaten so badly.

I look at Jellal and know there is more that she isn't telling me and I realize she left out three people in her summary of the battle causalities. "What about Juvia, Warrod, and Master Makarov?" I asked and she looked away from me and my heart sank as I knew what was about to be said though I can't believe it.

"They were killed in their battles. Their enemy killed them, mercilessly. Natsu killed master, Lucy killed Juvia, and the one called Padre killed Warrod." She said and I was immediately furious.

"NATSU AND LUCY DID WHAT?! WHERE ARE THEY? I'LL KILL THEM!" I yelled and was immediately pushed back down onto my bed by Jellal.

"Calm down. This is not the time for that. You wouldn't be able to touch them anyways, but what we can do is prepare you to fight the one known as Gōsuto. We can train you to beat him and get your revenge for all of us against him. But Natsu and Lucy are out of the question." Porlyusica said and I glared at her for a moment before I realized the truth and lost the edge to my glare.

'She's right. They would crush me like I used to be able to do. When did this become the case? When did I lose so much ground to them?' "Yes, I understand." I said and looked down and felt like a true loser.

"Don't lose heart, Scarlet, you are needed and still relied on as a top mage of this guild, and your battle is perhaps the most important. If you win then you can go and help the others in their battles. So look up and prepare! The others will need your fighting spirit! They will look to you for guidance and for leadership! So stand up and lead!" Porlyusica said and immediately I felt my spirit rise and my hope for us soar.

'Yes! I must lead! I will do whatever I can! I'm the Titania of Fairy Tail! I must not lose heart!' "Yes! I will do it!"

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**A/N: A little sadness and comfort today. Wendy is traumatized for life now, and Cana is officially out of the game. Damn Lucy! Crush a girl's spirit and livelihood! HAHAHA, oh well I'm not really a fan of Cana as she seems like she's utterly useless most of the time. SO, don't forget to take the poll! AND READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS! **


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Ow! My Back!

**A/N: Hello there people! Welcome me back as I have our next chapter here! Since we only got three of the ten things I asked for, there will only be one chapter today. Unless of course there is a massive spike in numbers while I write this. Then we'll see a second chapter today or tomorrow! But as of now, only one per update. Thanks to brucie86 for his suggestion via review, sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for the ideas via PM, and to the voter from yesterday! And to the one from the day before, who doesn't count towards our ten combination. NOW ENJOY!**

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The next day (Gōsuto POV)

We sit in our train car and relax, something we rarely do in trains as usually Natsu is whining about his motion sickness or the lack of Lucy being there. It gets annoying. 'Man, this is nice. Been a while since we could rest and relax like this. Hell for me it's been since before I met them, back in my early years really. When I was younger I wasn't exactly what I was now, was I? Sure I was a tracker still, but not for any of the good reasons. I was dark person back then, probably still am just doing the right things now.'

"Hey Gōsuto, I have a question for you." Esoj said from his seat across from me and I looked at him with one eye, the other eye closed. "You were a bounty hunter for dark guilds who wanted help, right? And you had a partner right? What was his name?"

I was taken aback a bit by the question, 'He a mind reader now?' but I still answered none the less, "Yes I was. And yes I had a partner, his name was…"

"Raitonekusasu, light mage." Came a voice I had not heard in years, and was a voice that made me jump up and into a fighting stance.

"Rai! What are you doing here?!" I ask pointedly as he just sighs at me and sits down.

"Calm down would ya? I've been looking for you to ask you a question." He said and looked very serious, something he only did when he really did have something meaningful to say. "I want to know why you broke us up, our partnership was the best in the world, why did you go straight." He asked getting straight to the point.

I hear what sounds like someone suppressing a laugh, and I turn and see Esoj as the culprit. He fails and bursts out laughing, "KIKIKIKIKIKI! GAAAYYY! What were you two life partners before he figured out he liked pussies, not dicks? KIKIKIKIKI!" He continued laughing as I narrowed my eyes at, as did Rai.

But Nena beat us to it and smacked him on the head, sending him crashing into the ground. "Cabron! Can't see the seriousness of the conversation? Cabron! Baboso!" She yelled at him and he cringed while picking himself up and I knew why, 'If she's yelling in Spanish, she's mad, especially when she calls him baboso on top of cabron. 'He's so not getting laid now. Maybe before this, but now? He's luck if he stays conscious for the rest of the ride.'

"Come on! The way he said that was hilarious made them sound really gay for each other! KIKIKIKI!" Esoj said, laughing, and was then promptly dropped to the floor again by Nena.

Then an older woman walked by and said to me, "You know young man, it's ok to admit your gay, my grandson is and I still love him." I deadpanned as she looked at the two of us and said, "You know you two would make a great couple!"

She walked away leaving two stunned men, an annoyed woman, and an idiot who was howling like a hyena. "I'M NOT GAY!" I roared as I found my voice and face palmed. I looked at Rai who looked embarrassed and was as red as a tomato, and asked him, "Oi, what's wrong with you? You want an answer to your question or not, idiot."

"Yes, yes, yes. Now why did you leave the life? It was good to us you know. And fuck you I'm fine." He answered back and I looked at him and saw the look of a determined man, a man who had possibly changed as well.

I sigh and look at him, saying, "I left because of what happened on that last job we did."

"But that wasn't our fault! It was an accident! We didn't know enough!" He said.

"No, it was our fault. We killed an innocent girl, she didn't have to die, but all we cared about was the money. Now I only care about the people, not the money. What about you? You still only care about the money?" I ask and look at his face and see a look of determination and of… happiness?

"Nope. I only care about something along similar lines to you. Just not the people, I met someone. She's amazing and she has changed me. Now I'm trying to meet her expectations of a man. So far so good, but I had to leave the life as well. It's part of the reason why I came looking for you." I saw his face the entire time and was surprised to see the sincerity of his answer. 'He must really love this woman. His face was practically glowing with happiness when he talked about her, I wonder what he wants? Whatever it is, I'll help him. He's like a brother to me.'

"What do you need Rai?" I ask as he looks and sees the sincerity behind my words.

"I hear you and your new group are going after someone. A certain someone that you'll need help finding. You're looking for Zeref, I know. And I want to help. I hear you guys are still based in Naito. I left my wife there after I waited for two months. I was looking for you for about a year before that and finally got wind of your new job. So what do you say, let's reunite again? The light and dark duo of Naito, reborn?" He asked and looked at me.

I wanted to tell him yes right away, but I knew I had no power over our group here, Natsu does, and he's not here. 'Wait! I'll just call him up with the lacrima! Hopefully he's not on a train.' "I'm not in charge but I'm sure he would be ok with it, our boss I mean. Let's call him up now." I pull out our communication lacrima and tune it to the frequency we need. Then I remember I have the visual one and really hope he's not on a train or Rai would think he's weak.'

The visual communication lacrima comes to life and I hear a strange sound, I call out to Natsu, "Hey Boss! You there…" Then I understood what the sounds were, they were moans.

"Oh my gods… NATSU!" I heard Lucy yell obviously enjoying whatever Natsu was doing.

"KIKIKIKIKI! Oh my gods! This day just keeps getting better and better! This is better than actual comedy shows! KIKIKIKI!" Esoj howled and continued doing so, and I mistook him for a hyena.

"Oi! Luce, what was that?" I heard Natsu ask.

"Shit!" We all whisper yell and fumble with the lacrima but are too slow.

"OH MY GODS! YOU FUCKERS! WHAT THE FUCK! WHY ARE YOU WATCHING US?!" Natsu yells and we see Lucy yell and fall of to the side of the bed they had us bring them, as Natsu rushes over to the lacrima and turns it off.

We stare at the lacrima as the hyena in the train continues laughing like an idiot. "Ummmm, sorry Rai. That was totally unexpected."

"…it's ok Gōsuto. I know it was an accident. So that was your boss right? Natsu Dragneel, The Salamander?" He asked changing the subject.

"Yeah, but he doesn't use that moniker anymore. He goes by the name Hell's Judge now." I say and he looks surprised.

"You mean the man who purges the darkness of the world with his fists of flames? You are the Ronin?" He asked and looked…excited?

"Yeah, that's us. We created this group about a year ago. You still want in? Or are you scared now that you know who we are?" I ask him.

"Scared? More like excited! Me and my wife have been keeping track of you guys and love the good you guys do! I want in even more now!" He said very excitedly and looked at us with a big grin on his face.

"Well alright then. You'll need to recite the motto for us as well, have to see if you can say it with the conviction necessary to be a Ronin." Esoj said cutting me off and then we began the chant, which he surprisingly knew already.

"THOUGH WE MAY HAVE NO TRUE HOME WE ARE NEVER ALONE! THOUGH NO ONE MAY WANT US WILL DO WHAT IS NEEDED! THOUGH NO ONE MAY APPRECIATE WHAT WE DO WE WILL ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING! WE ARE THE FORSAKEN, THE FORGOTTEN, THE LOST, WE ARE THE RONIN! DEATH TO OUR ENEMIES AND TO THE EVER LASTING GLORY THAT AWAITS US IN THE FUTURE. LIVE! FIGHT! LIVE AND FIGHT FOREVER!" We finish the chant and see the conviction behind Rai's chant and know we just gained a new member, and a partner for me.

Esoj claps his hands and says, "Ok, you pass. Welcome to the Ronin!"

(POV Change to Jura)

"Do you think he'll wake up soon?" I hear Sherry ask someone, consciousness now beginning to reach me.

"Yes, we just have to be patient. I just woke up this morning, and I wasn't beaten as badly as him. And why won't you let me look in a mirror? What's wrong?" I hear Lyon ask and finally realize what's going on, they're watching over me.

"Shut up! I'll spin you!" I hear Obaba say and I cringe slightly as I am now fully awake. 'She's mad. I am so dead now…'

That movement was a mistake as I feel a sharp pain in my back and I yell out in pain, making my consciousness known to everyone in the room as I begin writhing in pain. "Jura!" They all yell and I hear the door open and someone else rushes in.

"Porlyusica-san! Jura is awake! Come here quickly something is wrong with him!" I hear Wendy yell and look around to see her, and everyone else.

I see now why Sherry refused to let Lyon look at himself, it wasn't pretty and I wasn't even sure that it was Lyon anymore. He looked like a stranger now, his only recognizable feature on his face that is the same is his white hair. His face itself is horribly scarred with burns and looks like he walked through into a volcano, and like he stayed in there for a minute. The scars are deep and make him look strange, his once alluring charm that his face had is now long gone and would probably scare a child nowadays. I felt so bad for him that I no longer was able to look at him and looked to the door instead, and feel the pain in my back and yell out "OW! MY BACK! ARGH!" I continue writhing as the one I assume to be Porlyusica walks in and sees me and rushes over to me.

"Stay still! If you keep moving it will just make your back hurt even more! You broke several vertebrae and we were barely able to keep you a walking person. Almost had your career ended by that woman. You must rest and prepare for a very long rehabilitation period. So stop moving about some little child! Act your age!" She yells at me and I follow her orders.

I relax slightly and feel the pain lessen to a mild discomfort now. I sigh and ask the room, "What happened? Did anyone win?"

I get silence as an answer for a moment until I hear Porlyusica sigh and say, "No. No one won. We were defeated and lost some good people."

I stiffen at her words and feel my heart clench at the last part. I try to compose myself and prepare for the news I want to hear and get ready for the hammer to drop. "Who died?"

I hear silence again, until I hear Porlyusica sigh deeply and say sadly, "Warrod, Juvia and Makarov lost their lives."

I feel my heart pop and I feel tears threatening to fall from my eyes. Apparently this was the first time Lyon had heard the news as well, as he yelled out, "WHAT?! JUVIA DIED! WHO KILLED HER?! I WILL KILL GRAY AND WHOEVER DID THIS ATROCITY! WHERE IS GRAY?!"

"Lyon, please calm down. You know it wasn't Gray's fault." Sherry says, with a slight sadness to her voice at his obvious affection for the now deceased water mage, and how she was probably a consolation prize for Lyon.

He realized this and I hear him say, "Sherry, don't be sad. I am over my feelings for her, I just saw her as a sister now since Gray is my brother basically. Don't worry, you're my only girl now."

"Thank you, Lyon." Sherry says and I hear the sadness in her voice lessen but still there. She cared for Juvia as a friend as well and was still sad at the loss of the girl that she would have probably been sister in laws with.

I finally feel the severity of just how deep and sad these deaths reach everyone involved. I begin to cry a little bit and hear Obaba whisper, "Jura… I know your respect for Makarov, but this is not the time for tears, not yet. You must be strong for Lyon, as he has yet to see his face as it is now. When that happens I fear that he will not be too happy and do something rash. So rest up, I'll need help restraining him." I nod and am surprised by her kind words and the compassion she said them with. She senses my surprise and says quietly again, "I care about all of the mages in my guild and feel compassion for them all. I may not always show it, but I truly do love you kids like Makarov did with his kids."

"Thank you, Obaba-dono." I say and compose myself again. I hear Lyon and Sherry whimpering and sniffling slightly, clearly still comforting each other. I realize the need for my leadership and sit up, this time ignoring the pain and look at everyone. "Everyone! We must stay strong! Lyon, you will get your chance at revenge! Just be patient. We have a year to train, so we will make the most of it! We will bury our dead and use their lives as motivation! We will not let their killers go unpunished!" I finish speaking and look at everyone from my guild and see the same determination that is on my face as well, and I feel hope for the first time since I was awake. Hope that next time, things will be different the next time. I remember Madre's challenge to me and think to myself, 'Ok Madre. I will train and surpass you. I will defeat you this time and get revenge for what you did to my friends!'

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**A/N: Wow, that was fun to write! However I can take no credit for the new OC this time. The character idea was given to me by sashaXmafuyuFOREVER in her PM. Raitonekusasu means Light Nexus for those of you who care. Also while I went through the day I saw that we had another response for the poll. That makes it four out of ten now, six more things needed for a double chapter day! Keep it up, and if you voted and want to let me know you did and why you voted how you did, PM me. It will count towards the ten and I will be very happy with you! READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Reunion

**A/N: Hello there people! There was another voter so now we are half way there! Five more of anything you guys can do to show me some love and you'll get a two chapter day! Keep it up! Note this, this story does take place in the manga timeframe, so ahead of the anime, meaning if you don't read it there will be spoilers, but you have been warned. Enjoy the chapter!**

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Same Day (Lucy POV)

"OH MY GODS! YOU FUCKERS! WHAT THE FUCK! WHY ARE YOU WATCHING US?!" I hear Natsu yell from where the lacrima is and I immediately yelp and roll of the mattress with the covers on me to cover myself up. I groan and can feel my face heating up from the embarrassment, 'Why? Why did this have to happen today? Why now?'

I hear Natsu mumbling to himself, and I get up an look at him, asking, "Is the lacrima off?"

He looks over to me and gives his signature grin as he walks over to me and whispers in my ear, "Yup, so now where were we?" He begins trailing kisses down my neck, but I'm no longer in the mood, seeing as this was already round three of the morning.

"Natsu stop, I'm not in the mood anymore. Come on we have to get going or we'll be really late. And we'll miss the special train that has the anti motion sickness carts. Get dressed." I say as I push him off me and I get up and walk over to our bags with the clothes in them.

He groans, but complies and follows me to the bags where I throw him his clothes for the day, the now usual black pants, a fire red shirt, and perhaps the most important piece, his scarf that Igneel made him. I look at the scarf and remember the whole Tartarus ordeal, how Igneel revealed himself to be inside of Natsu the entire time we thought he was gone. I smiled at the memory and how Igneel had been able to stick around now and had been seeing Natsu quite frequently, until the incident of course. When that happened Igneel stayed away until the time was right for fear that being seen would lead the people hunting Natsu right to him. But when he heard that Natsu had begun to earn a new moniker and had a female partner he found us again. I remember that day like it was yesterday, even though it happened a year and a half ago.

_FLASHBACK_

_We walk back to our mountain hideout and laugh about how easy the job was, those lame ass excuses for dark mages didn't even know what hit them. "Hahaha and Luce when you kicked their leader in the face after he was acting all tough, his face was priceless! He was all 'No wait! Please not the face!' Hahahaha, man that was fun!" He said and we neared our hideout, but as we did he suddenly stiffened and sniffed the air before looking at me with a smile on his face, "We're going to have company, and it's a friend for once."_

_I looked at him questioningly before I heard a roar that I had not heard in a while, and I knew who was coming. "He found us? How long has it been since you last saw him Natsu?" I asked him._

"_Not since a month before the incident. So almost four years now. I may be a bit angry, so you might wanna step back a bit." He said._

_I shook my head, instead linking our arms together and said, "He probably had a good reason for not seeing you, so there's no need to be upset. Besides when you tell him we got married, he might flip so you may want to be careful." _

_Natsu looked at me and saw I'm wasn't going to be backing down, so he laughed and said, "Ok Luce. But you can tell him we're married, he might actually kill me for not waiting for him. But you he likes so he won't kill you." I deadpan at his logic and smack him upside the head._

_I was about to scold him for not being manly but was interrupted by Igneel coming down right in front of us and putting his snout right in front us. He sniffed us and questioned, "Natsu, Luce. Why are you two together? Here instead of at Fairy Tail? AND NATSU! Why do you go by a new moniker now? What was it… Oh yeah HELL'S JUDGE! What is that about? Not proud of the moniker of Salamander anymore, ashamed to be known as a dragon now?" _

_Natsu just looked at him confused by the last part and asked, "What? They call me Hell's Judge? I didn't even know when they stop calling me Salamander, but I don't really care, I'll always Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel! And you would know why I'm not at Fairy Tail anymore, Luce knows I should be and knows the truth but that's it."_

"_So I was right, you didn't do it. I knew you would never hurt Luce. But why is she here… don't your guild mates realize your gone?" He said and we both relaxed._

"_No, I left a psychic projection behind, so they won't realize I'm gone. But my question is, where have you been? Haven't seen you in years now, and neither has Natsu, and then you suddenly appear. AND YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S UPSET!" I said, emphasizing the last part to guilt trip him._

"_Sorry Luce, but I didn't want people seeing me and then finding Natsu. I was just protecting him. Now I have a question for you? How big is your neck? And is white an ok color for a scarf? Or would prefer another color?" He said, which caused Natsu to smile at him until we both realized why he asked his last two questions._

"_Ummm, do you know about us?" I asked and held tightly onto Natsu._

"_Yes, since my last visit I could smell you two making love when I was in the air above Magnolia. And could hear you, man you two are ridiculously loud moaners." He said and we both turned as red as his scales. He laughed and asked, "So when's the wedding?"_

_We both looked at each other then at him sheepishly, "A year and a half ago… Hahaha…" I said and I saw his eyes grow as wide as the moon. _

"_WHAT?! I MISSED MY SON'S WEDDING!" He yelled and then began to cry melodramatically. "I missed my only son's wedding! I am a terrible Father! Luce, quick! Lucy Kick me! I deserve it!"_

_We both sweat drop at his reaction and Natsu asked, "So you're not mad about not waiting for you?"_

"_OF COURSE NOT! I should be the one apologizing, I didn't even attempt to contact you and missed out on a chance of a lifetime! Here let me make it up to you! Where are the rings?" He asked and we both help up our left hands, showing the beautiful rings Natsu had gotten us. He smiled and put snout to our hands and muttered an incantation, causing our rings to glow._

_We watched in awe as the rings glowed and when the glow faded away we looked at our rings and saw engraved now on each was a dragon and a key, wrapping around the entire ring, it was beautiful and now had been even more perfect than before. I began to cry at the gift and hugged Igneel, and said, "Thank you Igneel, this is perfect!" I looked at my ring in awe and was now eternally grateful that I had married a dragon slayer, as their parent was a truly great person._

"_Of course, my lovely daughter. Now I did also come to tell you one other thing. It's about him. We must find him and kill him as soon as possible." Igneel said and we both knew who he meant: Zeref._

_END FLASHBACK_

That wasn't the last time we saw him, in fact we saw him every three months when he would report on his findings. He had found nothing as of yet. I smile at the memory and look at my ring and smile even brighter. I pull out my own scarf as well and say, "I'm feeling the scarf today, especially since it's so cold here, isn't it almost winter?"

"Yeah, and I hate it! I like the summer more!" He replied with disgust in his voice.

I pull him into a hug and say mockingly, "Aww, is my big strong dragon slayer afraid of the cold?" 

"NO! I just really like the warmth… Um hey Luce, what day is it?" He asks and begins looking around and sniffing the air.

'Uh-oh. It can't be, can it?' I look at the calendar and my eyes grow wide, and I say, "Natsu it is that day. He's coming."

"Shit! Hurry! Let's get outside and away from the town! Igneel might destroy it like the last time!" He says and grabs the mattress and pulls me out the door, dragging the mattress cart that also has our bags on it. We rushed to the outskirts of the town we were in, ironically enough it was Hargeon so of course we had to leave running. We reach the outskirts of town and Igneel immediately landed next to us and said almost as quickly as he had appeared, "I have a lead."

The next day in Naito (POV Change to Esoj)

We arrived in Naito and quickly rushed off the train, not wanting to waste any time. I pulled out the communication lacrima and turned it on, calling Rames, "Hey where are you guys? We just got here and are looking for you guys." I said everything quickly and probably mumbled most of it but I was so excited I didn't even care. 'I finally get to met my son! I wonder what he looks like, I wonder if he will be able to recognize me since he's never even seen me before? Will he accept me as his father? Or will he be happy for a time but then realize this was the first time I had ever met him? Man I'm a terrible father.'

"Yeah, yeah I hear you. We're at this café in the middle of town, it's called The Shadow, hard to miss. We're waiting, also got some woman here who says her husband is with you some guy called Rai-Raitone-Raitonekusasu? I think I said that right, but you know my Japanese is iffy at best. Hurry it up already though, the kid's dying to meet you and you making him wait is not helping." Rames said and my heart jumped at the mention of E.J. wanting to meet me.

I smile and say, "Ok we're on our way! We'll be there soon!" I turn off the lacrima and grab Nena's hand and practically drag her towards the center of town, looking for The Shadow. Then I remember that I know that place and I turn to Gōsuto and ask him, "Hey doesn't your old man own The Shadow?"

"Yeah, so ironically all the people we want to see are in the same place. Let's hurry it up then, alright? I have something to ask him." Gōsuto said and we picked up our pace, soon then arriving to the center of town. It was busy today but we knew where we were going so we weaved our in between the crowds.

We reached the café and soon entered it and saw a group of people waiting at a table near the back of the café. That's when I saw him. He was pretty tall like me, for his age at least, and was practically the spitting image of five year old me. He had my hair, my nose, my mouth shape, and a very defined chin and jaw line like I did. I had never been so happy to see the childhood version of me and I ran over to him, knocking over tables and people alike in my pursuit of my son, with Nena hot on my heels. He noticed us and I saw his face light up as he got up as well and ran to us and met me half way. We met in a hug and I swept him up off of his feet and was crying now, finally able to hold my son in my arms, like a father should.

I held him tightly and never wanted to let go, and turned to Nena and said through my sobs of joy, "Hey look, I have a son! He's really mine!" She laughed as she cried as well and joined me in my hug of him, I let him down and got on a knee so I could keep the contact we all had but not crush him, he was still only five after all. I broke the hug and looked into my sons tear-filled eyes with my own tear filled ones and said, "Hey E.J., how are you bud? I'm sorry for not being there for you and I'm sorry that this is the first time we met. I-I-I…" 

To my surprise he just hugged me again and said, "Don't be sad Dad! I know what you've been doing for us, for me. I am happy you're my Dad! YOU ARE AWESOME! You are the coolest Dad ever! Everybody is jealous that I'm your son! How could I be mad at that fact and that your busy SAVING THE WORLD!" He said which caused me to cry even more, even though my role is being blown a bit out of proportion. I smiled at him and looked at Nena who was doing the same as me, crying and smiling at our young son.

"Yeah, listen this is great but your making a huge scene so control yourselves will you?" The doctor said and sighed in annoyed at us. "Come Marco, this is too much emotion for me to handle properly, let us go back to the hotel."

"Do we get to have some fun finally if we do?" He asked causing the doctor to blush in embarrassment at his words, but she nodded none the less and he took her hand and rushed out the exit yelling behind him, "See you later! Bye ese!"

We all sweat dropped at his actions and boldness, but quickly recovered when the woman they had mentioned was there stood up and looked at us, saying, "Rai, so I guess you found him?"

"Yeah, Tsume, this is him and his new group. Guess what? They said I'm in! We'll be staying here for a while, so I hope you packed up everything from the last house. And where's Raito? Is he here or with your mother?" He replies as he walks over to her and gives her a chaste kiss on the forehead, smiling at her.

"He's here, actually he should be in here as well. RAITO! Where are you!" She yells and immediately a child that looks to be the same age as E.J. comes out and walks over to her and runs when he sees Rai.

"Daddy!" He yells and jumps into Rai's arms and is pulled up high above Rai's head, which is pretty high up as he is about the same height as the one called Jura is. He was a giant.

"Raito! Hey buddy! I missed you! But hey I have good news! I found uncle Gōsuto and a new place to stay! We're gonna be staying here for now." He said and Raito nodded his happily, as Rai added, "And I can stay for a while this time!"

At this Raito smiled and said, "Yay! Does this mean you can teach me magic finally? I'm five now and you promised!"

"Yup, as you said I promised! And mommy said it was ok then too so we're good!" They high fived at Rai's agreement of the plan and stood up looking our way.

"Hey Dad, can you teach me magic too? I already have shown the same magic as mom and you." E.J said and I looked at him and was surprised at the information.

Hesitantly I asked him, "Like BOTH of our magic or just similar?"

"Uncle Rames said it was like BOTH of your magic combined, he was pretty surprised too." He said and I looked at him realizing just how much potential I held in my arms, potential I must help guide.

"Then yes, I will train you! So will mom, consider it family bonding time!" I said and E.J.'s face lit up as he hugged me. I see the old man come out from behind a door and I know the look on his face means we're about to do some business. "Hey Tsume, right? Why don't we let Raito and E.J. play outside for a minute? I need to talk to the old man there with everyone. You can stay if you want though."

She nods and tells Raito to go and have some fun, and he runs to us and both him and E.J. run outside. "So, old man how are you doing?" Gōsuto asks, receiving a smack from the old man.

"Show some respect to your father! I raised you and trained you in the same magic I used so give me some respect! Honey, we raised an ungrateful son!" He yelled to someone who the stepped towards us and I recognized her as Gōsuto's mom.

"Now, now. Calm down Kurayami, no need to be upset, and Gōsuto! Please call him pops at least." She said and both men nodded meekly, clearly both did not want her upset even though she wasn't a mage.

Gōsuto picks up his and smirks at his dad and asks him, "Hey you fought Gildarts Clive back in the day, right?" His dad nodded and his smirk became a grin that went from ear to ear as he said, "Well, guess what. We fought about a month ago and I WON! That's right pops, I beat the only man you couldn't!"

Gōsuto's dad looked at him in surprise but then smiled and said, "Atta boy! I knew my training you was good for something! Way to go! We'll celebrate later, because I have news on that thing you asked me to keep an ear open about…"

Then we heard the door open and the kids ran in and yelled, "DRAGON!"

We all looked at them in shock, but understood who it was when Natsu and Lucy walked in Natsu threw his arms up. "We made it! And guess what? Igneel found us a lead!"

We all looked at him before Kurayami said, "As I have Natsu, I was the one who gave Igneel the information, now come we have much to discuss." With that he closed the café and we all went to the mansion we called home, everyone but the good doctor and Rames in tow. 'Things are about to get real.'

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**A/N: Whew, the story is about to pick up! And as I wrote this, we had someone review! Thanks sashaXmafuyuFOREVER, we are now at six out of ten! Four more to go! SO READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Plans

**A/N: Hello there people! So just as an FYI, I am about half way done writing the one-shot that will tie into this story, and will function as a background story for an OC. But I'm not saying who! You'll just have to wait and see. So we are now up to Nine out of Ten, one more and we'll a double chapter day! There is a new follower and a favoriter, so thanks Thobdon! And sashaXmafuyuFOREVER once again reviewed, so thank you very much! For now, enjoy the chapter!**

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(Natsu POV)

"Whoa, there! Who the fuck is this guy and the chick? Why are you two here?" I asked as I saw a very tall man and a somewhat tall woman walking with us and wondered who exactly the fuck they were.

Kurayami spoke in their defense, saying, "This is Gōsuto's old partner, Raitonekusasu and his wife Tsume. They just joined us yesterday."

I nodded my head looking at the man and his wife, "So you were Gōsuto's partner? What kind of magic do you use? And since you were Gōsuto's partner your pretty strong, right?"

Raitonekusasu nodded and said, "I'm a light magic user, and yes I was the fighting specialist back in the day, all ranges. They call me the Light of The…"

"Light of The Dead, so your that guy? Yeah your strong enough to be a Ronin. Welcome aboard, now Rai is ok, right? And Kurayami, is 'The Castle' ready for us?" I say as I look ahead and see our base of operations, a place I call 'The Castle', which is actually Kurayami's old hideout he abandoned when he got married.

"Yes. Honey when we get there could you make some food for everyone? I have much to discuss with these young ones. Igneel already knows everything, as does Natsu and Lucy I'm guessing. Igneel! Go and make the necessary preparation around the area! I'll tell them everything!" Kurayami said as we arrived at the mansion, and Igneel nodded and flew away. The mansion was big enough to actually house him but he apparently needed to do some things outside of town.

"Yoosh! To the meeting room everyone! Luce, have Virgo prepare the rooms for Rai and his family. The same for the one called… Rames, right Esoj?" He nodded and I continued, "Right, one for Rames and his wife, and one for E.J.. Alright, kids the adults need to talk so why don't you… Um, Rai, who the fuck is that?" We all looked and saw a small girl following right behind Rai, looking very shy and intimidated by everyone.

"Oh, Mai! There you are! Hey no need to go and look for Gōsuto anymore, I found him. Since you don't need to be looking for him why don't you take care of the kids? We'll be busy for a while. And if you want, go and help the maid spirit ok?" Rai asked and she nodded and walked away with a smile now on her face.

She stopped in front of us and said, "Hello, I am Rai's younger sister, Mai. I am sorry for not showing myself before but I couldn't tell who you were, I am very shy but I can do housework, so I hope I can be of use. Arigato."

"Of course, just do as Rai said and then we'll talk more later. Virgo! Add another room to the list!" Lucy called out to Virgo who peeked her head out a window and nodded.

"Any punishment princess?" She called back and Lucy and I both groan.

"NO! YOU ARE NEVER IN ANY NEED OF PUNISHMENT SO STOP ASKING!" We both yelled at her, at which she nodded and went back inside. We looked back and saw Mai and Gōsuto looking at each other, their faces stuck in soft, small grins. We both raise an eyebrow at this and look at Rai, who looks at the two very annoyed by the interaction.

"Hi Mai. Been a while." Gōsuto said and Mai nodded and continued smiling at him.

"Ahem. Don't you have kids to look after?" Rai asked and Mai jumped a little before running off to watch the kids, with Gōsuto's mom behind them.

Then Tsume hits Rai on the head and says, "Leave them alone! She's old enough to do what she wants. She can love whoever she wants. WHOEVER."

He rubbed his head and sighed, saying, "I know, I just want her to be safe. Oi, Gōsuto you better treat her right! Or I'll kill you!" Gōsuto looked at him blushing a little as he nodded and watched Mai leave the group.

"Ok, enough dawdling! Let's go already!" I said impatiently and they all jumped a bit and nodded, walking quickly into the meeting room. We arrive and everyone takes a seat except for Kurayami and me, "Ok so we found something out, and it's pretty big. Kurayami if you will."

"You forgot already, huh boss?" Esoj asked me and I sighed.

"Yes." I said earning a groan from everyone.

"Sit back down. Geez and you guys let him lead you? Geez it's a miracle you guys are even alive still." Kurayami said as I sat down. He sighed and continued, saying, "Right, as we all know the current whereabouts of Zeref are unknown, and the only people who do are with Zeref right now. So just about no one. There is one person who does however. And we found him, his name is Chun Fay. He is also known as The Index, he knows just about everything there is to know and he's been known to work for dark guilds. Most recently, however, he was seen working with a man fitting the description of Zeref himself. He was last seen in Boa and was seen there with the guy who might actually be Zeref. Fay is not a very strong fighter but is able to use his brain to just outsmart people, which is why he's never been caught before. We need to find him soon, before he gets the chance to move again. Also, we know he will be there in Boa for at least another two weeks, he's looking for something my sources tell me. Something that Zeref wants, and he's not gonna leave until he either finds it or his time is up there. Apparently he can't stay in any one place too long or his brain begins to hurt him, so he is always moving. So here's the plan, someone is going to go to Boa and capture him, once they do that they will bring him back here. Once here, Gōsuto and I will interrogate him using our magic, we can cause him to be under immense amounts of nightmares and other sorts of mental torture. Once we secure the information of what he's looking for, we'll find it ourselves and use it to lure out Zeref, at which point we will use Lumen Historie and then defeat Zeref. Any questions?" He said finishing his information he found for us.

"Yeah, I do. Who will be going? We shouldn't all go and some of us will need to be here to help contain Lumen Historie, so that takes Nena and I out, and Gōsuto has to stay as he is holding it in his dimensions. So that leaves Natsu, Lucy, and Rai. Who will volunteer?" Esoj asked and we all looked at one another.

"Luce and I will. Rai will need the rest and we can ride Igneel and get there pretty quickly. What does he look like?" I said and Kurayami handed me a file and I opened it and saw what he looked like, man was he ugly. "Ok, we'll leave tomorrow in the morning. Everyone we are close now to the end. I don't know how it will end but we should be ok as long as we fight together as a team. I can't promise you guys anything other than people to lean on and people you can call family. I know that we will always be family and nakama. Let us remember our promise to the world and to each other. Join me in the chant!" I said as everyone nodded and smiled at my words, feeling reassured of ourselves now.

"THOUGH WE MAY HAVE NO TRUE HOME WE ARE NEVER ALONE! THOUGH NO ONE MAY WANT US WILL DO WHAT IS NEEDED! THOUGH NO ONE MAY APPRECIATE WHAT WE DO WE WILL ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING! WE ARE THE FORSAKEN, THE FORGOTTEN, THE LOST, WE ARE THE RONIN! DEATH TO OUR ENEMIES AND TO THE EVER LASTING GLORY THAT AWAITS US IN THE FUTURE. LIVE! FIGHT! LIVE AND FIGHT FOREVER!" We yelled as loudly as possible, almost causing the room to shake and we all smiled at one another. We all stood and saluted one other and left one by one, before it was just Lucy and me alone in the room.

"So what are we going to do exactly when this is over? I mean it's not like we can just go back anymore, the guild won't accept us anymore. And it's not like we can all stay together like this, Esoj and Nena will go home, as will Rai, and Gōsuto is going to stay here with his family and Mai, hopefully. So what about us? I know we said we are those without a home and are ok with it, but can we really live like this? I know I don't want to, I want a family and a regular life, well as regular a life a mage can have." She said and I pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead soothingly, and she asked me, "What do you want Natsu?"

"I want to live a life that includes you and hopefully many little Natsu's and Luce's running around. I want a life where I can work and then come home to you and my family. I want exactly what you want Luce. I want a normal life. But I don't know if we'll ever get that anymore. We both have done many things that have gained us a reputation, a reputation that will never leave us and will force us to either go to jail or be chased forever. There is no escape from this fate anymore, we did what was right. But we also knew that in doing so, we would forever doom ourselves to this fate. I'm sorry Luce…" I paused as I felt tears stain my eyes, "I'm sorry that I dragged you into this and have ruined our chance at a good life, the life that you wanted so desperately wanted. I'm so sorry Luce." I then felt a hand slap me in the face and I looked to see Lucy crying as well, as she looked at me.

"Baka! I chose this life. I know it may not be what I always wanted, but as long as I'm with you, I don't care. I love you more than anything in my life. It's why I chased after you, I refused to believe you could hurt me, and guess what? I was right, you could never hurt me and you never will. I love you, I love you Natsu Dragneel. And that's why I want exactly what we have now, I want life to be with you, and I always want to stay by your side, I never want to leave your side." She said as the tears came down and I pulled her back into the hug, sobbing quietly with her as we both tried to display just how much we loved each other.

****** SHORT LEMON*****

I pulled back and gave her a kiss so passionate and full of love, I can feel my soul pour into her and I pull her onto my lap. We sit like this for a while, just kissing softly and letting the emotions pour out of us. I pull her up as I stand up, and carry her to our room and see that Virgo already put the mattress on the bed. I lay her down on the bed and claim her lips once again, and poke my tongue out seek entrance to her mouth. She opens up as she slides her skirt off and I shimmy out of my pants, and my boxers as well. I fell just how hard I am, feel her rub her hips against me and I swear I see stars from the friction. I groan into her mouth and I work my way from her mouth to her jaw line, planting kisses everywhere I went and sucking at the junction of her shoulder and neck, leaving a mark and causing her to moan loudly.

I sit up a bit and take off my shirt as she does the same, undoing her bra as well. I lean back down and I pick her up and line my cock up with her vagina, and quickly push in and start groping her breasts, licking and sucking on her right one as my left hand massages her breasts roughly. I pump into her and build a steady pace, hitting her g-spot every time causing her to moan loudly and she grabs at my hair, grabbing fistfuls of my hair.

"Faster Natsu! Faster!" She moans and I oblige, pumping faster and harder than before, hard enough to where I know she won't be able to walk right tomorrow. I begin to feel my stomach coil and I know I'm close, and so is she as both yell each others names as loudly as we can and I feel her inner walls tighten around me as she comes, me following right after. I thrust a few more times before I know I'm empty and I slump down next to her and pull out. We get comfortable and look each other in the eyes and I kiss her forehead before I pull her tightly against me.

We both drift towards sleep, as I hold her in my arms and I whisper in her ear, "I love you Luce."

She whispers back, almost fully asleep, "I love you too Natsu. Goodnight."

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**A/N: Surprise! A small amount of citrus as we get ready for some action next chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it, if not… Oh well. And we have breaking news! We got the last vote necessary for ten and tomorrow will be a two chapter day! SO PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: The Hunt

**A/N: Hello there people! So I hope your excited, because today is the day! THERE WILL BE TWO CHAPTERS TODAY! First shout out to FanGirlLevy for the follow! Thanks! Now onto the chapter!**

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The following morning (Natsu POV)

I wake up and stretch, yawning loudly and I look down to see Lucy doing the same as me. "Morning Luce. Sleep well?" I asked as I gave her a hug and kissed her on the forehead.

"Yeah, how about you?" She got up and tried to walk only to almost fall over before I caught her and started laughing like crazy, "SHUT UP! This your fault!"

"Uh, no. If I remember you yelling for me to go faster, which means go harder, so I did." I said smiling at her as she turned redder than Igneel's scales. "Don't be embarrassed, it'll just turn me on more, your face is too cute when it's red like this. Now relax and let me relax your muscles by heating them up a little bit, now come here." I pulled her up so she was facing me and her legs were on my lap, I put my hands on her legs and warmed up my hands. I immediately feel her muscles relax and she sighed in contentment, and soon enough she was able to stand up again.

"Thanks Natsu! Now lets go! We have a long day ahead of us. Now get dressed!" She said and walked over to the bags and threw me some new clothes as she got dressed in a black tank top and white skirt, with her keys on her belt next to her whip. She put on her boots and I got dressed in my usual shirt and pants outfit, and both of us wore our scarves that Igneel made us. "I think today's a good day to match no? I think Igneel might not like it if we didn't. I'd rather not have him mad since he'll be our ride for the day."

I smiled at her and took her hand and said, "Yeah, he almost started crying when he missed our wedding, so yeah he might not like seeing us in our scarves. Let's get going, he's impatient like me. Come on!" I dragged her along until she caught up to my pace, we get outside and see Igneel waiting for us.

(POV Change to Lucy)

As he sees us wearing our scarves he smiles and says, "So you are wearing your scarves! Ah, that makes me feel better, at least now I know you liked your gifts! I feel better about them, and I feel like you actually love me! Luce hug me!" I sweat dropped and hugged him as best as I could, before he grunted and said, "Man Luce, lose some weight, your heavy. And I have to carry you? Natsu you married a weirdo!"

"OH FUCK YOU! I get it enough from Natsu, so shut up!" I yelled at him very out of character and I gasped at my outburst. "Sorry! I don't know what came over me!"

"Ok… um sorry about that. Natsu, treat your wife with respect you idiot! You should only say nice words to her, like how big her ass is, or her breasts." Igneel scolded.

"Kyaaa! Pervert!" I yelled as I blushed and the two males laughed at me. I glared at them and huffed, saying, "Fine, be like that. I'll just stay here and let you two go on your own. See if I care."

"Aw, Luce don't be like that. I'm sorry, the truth is you're a beautiful angel, and I am unworthy of you! And I mean that." Natsu apologized and I could tell he was sincere.

I sighed, relenting and saying, "Ok, I believe you. Now lets get going ok? We have a long journey ahead of us. Igneel, are you ready?" Igneel nodded and lowered himself so we can climb onto his back, and Natsu climbs up first and then helped me up.

As I got up onto his back, he pulled me into his lap and kissed me on the cheek, saying, "Hold on tight. He likes quick takeoffs, and keeping that speed. Hey dad, how long of a trip are we looking at?" 

"Twelve hours. We'll stop every three and rest for an hour, so it should take sixteen hours in total. Sorry but there's no way you two could last longer than three hours at a time. Get ready, because here we go." Igneel replied and suddenly we are up in the air and my stomach was on the ground still.

"OH MY GODS! KYAAA!" I cried out and didn't stop for the first three hours.

I must have made Natsu deaf because when we landed and we got off and I started kissing the ground he was yelling the whole time, "GODDAMN LUCE! CAN YOU STOP YELLING ALREADY?!"

I looked up from the ground and said, "I did. Natsu can you hear me? Natsu!"

"Oh, ok. Whew man that was loud, I warned you about his flying, he's crazy. It's why I hate transportation, only reason I don't get sick on him is because he's not transportation, so don't ask about it." He said and I sighed in relief he could hear me now, and that he wasn't yelling anymore. "Hey dad, I brought some food, you hungry or you wanna save it?"

"Save it, we have three more stops to go. And Luce, if you scream the whole time again I'll have Natsu tie your mouth shut with your scarf, I almost went deaf. But if your ready, we can leave now."

"Just give me half an hour and I can't promise anything. Sorry." I said and laid down on Natsu's chest and asked him, "So how have you been dad?"

"Good, I've been flying a lot though. Ran into Grandine while I was out and about, Metalicana too. Told me an interesting story, about how you attacked Fairy Tail and killed four people, nothing major." He said pointedly and we knew we were screwed.

"Listen we can explain, we had to do it. Lisanna almost killed both of us and the others tried to kill us too you know." Natsu said very defensively and I nodded furiously. "Sorry dad, but you know I had to, Zeref comes first and I will do anything to stop him. ANYTHING."

Igneel nodded and said calmly, "I understand, just surprised by the death count."

"OH SHIT! I just remembered we forgot to tell Gōsuto to release the dimension I dumped my magic in! Quick call him!" I said and he pulled out the lacrima and turned it on. "Gōsuto! Can you hear me?"

"Holy shit Mai, right there!" I heard Gōsuto moan and I quickly turned the lacrima off.

Natsu start howling in laughter as does Igneel while I blush at the embarrassing moment. "Man, we really have to work on timing as a group, we interrupt each other having sex way too often." Natsu said and I nodded before looking at him and laughing at the memories we had shared doing that.

"Ok, Igneel. I'm ready. Let's get moving, I'd rather not wait anymore." I said and we climbed aboard, getting ready for another long journey.

Time Skip to when they arrive (Natsu POV)

We land outside of Boa and we hop off Igneel and I say, "Ok dad. We'll give you the signal when we find him, just go and hang out somewhere and don't get caught, or else we're fucked." Igneel nods and takes off, heading towards the mountains off to the west of Boa.

I turn to Lucy and nod, telling her the plan is a go and we need to get moving. Our plan is to first find a man named Fun, Fay's handler and associate and find out where exactly Fay is in Boa. Boa is rather large and looking for him by finding his scent would be near impossible, as there would be too many scents. So once we find Fun we will extract the information from him and take Fay captive, and hopefully take his research in one fell swoop. If not, then we'll just take him back to base and have the others extract the information out of him the hard way, I was hoping he would get the interrogation method.

We walk into the city and head to a small bar on the outskirts of town, the place where all the scum gathers like dirt on a boot. We know he frequents a place called 'The Constrictor', yes like the snake, and is most likely there right now. We arrive and enter the bar, the two of us separating and fanning out in the bar to cover more ground. I walk around the edge of the bar and head to the back corner of the bar, where I find our man sitting there drinking a beer of sorts.

"This seat taken?" I asked him and he shook his head, clearly confident that no one was going to touch him. No one would hurt a guy who worked for someone as well known as The Index, or so he thought. "So I'm looking for a guy, name's Fay, heard he could help me with something, you know him?" I asked and saw as he visibly tensed at my question.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Who wants to know?" He says as coolly as possible, trying to seem like my question didn't affect him even though it obviously did.

"A prospective client, that's who, no need for names yet unless I know if you have the information I need, right?" I said as I took a beer off the waitress's cart as she came around trying to sell more beer. I took a swig and continued looking at him with a very nonchalant look to myself, though my face was hidden by my cloak.

"Hmmm, ok. I might know where he is, but it's gonna cost ya. 20,000 jewel for the meeting, another 40,000 for his services, and that price is daily. He's a busy guy as you would guess." He said and I nodded.

"Alright, but you're not getting any money until I know that you ain't bullshitting me. I'm not just gonna blindly trust ya. Take me to him, I want to talk to him first. Gotta be specific in what I need him to do for me." I said and the guy nodded, and stood up as well holding out his hand for me to shake, which I took and shook firmly. "Alright let me grab my partner and we'll be on our way. Follow me."

I stood up as well and we walked over to the bar where Lucy was but only made it halfway there when a guy came flying at us, his nose broken and his face bloodied. "Don't fucking touch me you pervert!" She yelled and I sweat dropped, 'Idiot, you never touch Luce, she's fucking crazy when that happens.' She sees us and walks over to us and says, "So you found him? Good, this place is crawling with pervs, so let's get out of here. Oi, eyes up, my face is up here not where my boobs are." She looked at Fun and he immediately straightened up, apologizing under his breath.

We walked out and headed back into town, walking into the town center and into a very busy café. He nods to the girl working the counter and she nods back, opening the counter so we can walk into the back of the café. We enter the back and he pushes an unseen button on the wall and the wall slides away, revealing a hidden entrance to a hidden room. We walk in and see that there are stairs there and walk down them and go a long ways down. We reach a door that is bolted and would take weeks to melt through, but that's why we brought Fun.

He opens the door and walks inside, calling out, "Oi, boss! I brought some clients in today. Come one out!"

We then walk in as well, and see as Fay walks into the light and I was right, he's one ugly son of a bitch. He sees us and says, "Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartiphilia, to what do I owe the misfortune?"

"Tch, who says we came here to bring misfortune? We simply want some information you should have. Now we are prepared to pay you for it, but are ready to simply take it instead." I say as I lower my hood as does Lucy, neither of us surprised that he knew who we were.

"What do you want to know?" Fay asked as he stood before Lucy and checked her out, ogling at her figure.

"Well for one thing, you should know that her name is now Luce Dragneel-Heartiphilia, so stop checking out my wife." I said as he immediately walked away and in front of the both of us, and I continued as he did, "And I also know you're here on business, you're looking for something. I want it. Hand over the information you have and we'll leave you be, with the money your man requested of us."

"Ha! Like I would actually give you that, you know who I'm doing this for and you know he doesn't take too kindly to failure. He killed one of his own lieutenants when he failed to bring him the right amount of sugar, I would know I was there. Now imagine if I failed to bring him the thing he wants, do you actually think he'll let me live if that's the case?" Fay said.

I scoffed and said, "I don't care, I want what you got and I will have it. Now you can hand it over quietly with no mess, or things can get real messy and you wouldn't want that. Trust me."

He looked at me and then yelled, "Index: Book End!" Suddenly the walls came out and tried to crush me, I stopped them with one finger each and scoffed at his effort.

"Is that all? My sources were right, you aren't a fighter at all. Luce, deal with Fun, I'll deal with Fay." I said and the there was a crashing sound and a groan as Fun came flying and landed in front of me. "Huh, that weak? You should have hired better men Fay, because now it's just us. Luce seal the door would you? We need to have a chat with Mr. Fay here." I smirked at the last part and watched as Fay tried to yell out a spell, but I stopped him by letting him feel the immensity of my magical power, which he did and started choking due to the pressure. I scoff and grab him by the throat, asking, "Now, Fay, what are you looking for? What does Zeref want?"

Struggling, he choked out, "I won't tell. I'm more scared of Zeref than you. I'd rather take a beating and say nothing than die."

"Oh, your death can be arranged, you see my other associates only really need your body still more or less intact to get the information, you've heard of The Light and Dark duo of Naito, right? Then you should know I'm not bluffing. Now talk, fast or else your death will be forthcoming." I said as fear filled his eyes at the realization of the validity of my threat, or the supposed validity of it. It was a rumor that those two could use even dead objects to find out the truth, but it was false. They needed the body alive and well to interrogate him, and I want him alive to see if he actually goes back to Zeref and saves us the trouble of looking for him.

He looks at my blank face and shakes his head, "No you won't kill me. You want me alive and well so you can not only get the information, but also possibly lead you to Zeref. Well, I am not saying a thing." 'Shit, he called the bluff, but not fully. Oh well the jig's up.'

I start to let more of my magical energy flow out and he begins to suffocate faster, and is soon unconscious. "Luce we're gonna have to bring him back, find something to tie him up with and the search the place. Make sure Fun doesn't follow, leave him for the authorities here."

"I thought this would happen so I brought some magic cancelling handcuffs, he won't escape if we use these. But we will need something to tie him up with so we can tie him up to Igneel's back." She said sighing as she threw me the cuffs and I put them on him. "Go outside and call Igneel in, we should be ready for extraction soon. I'll look around and see if I can find anything, you go and find the rope or whatever."

I nodded and slung Fay over my shoulder and saw some rope by the door, 'Conveniently placed too.' I grabbed the rope and walked outside and help my hand up and pointed one finger up in the air, shooting a flame out which then exploded in the air like a flare would.

I then hear Lucy walk up behind me as she sighs and says, "All I got were his journals, and those are basically unreadable. Don't know what he's looking for still, however it does look like it has to do with Tartarus again. Thinking what I'm thinking?"

I sighed and nodded my head, "Yeah, he could be trying to find where we hid his book of demons, not like he'll ever find it. I burned it years ago after I left and well after we beat Tartarus, didn't even leave the ashes. No way he can call out any of those demons again."

She nodded and watched as Igneel landed in front of us, careful not to destroy any buildings, and I said, "Hunt complete dad, let's go home." He nodded and we climbed on top of his back and flew away, leaving behind the place of our happiest memory, which we had totally forgotten it was.

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**A/N: Whew part one of two for today is done! Thanks for reading and remember to READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS! AND KEEP READING THERE IS ANOTHER CHAPTER TO READ TODAY!**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Leaving

**A/N: Second Chapter! So quickly, super big time shout out to my person of the day in touchofviper, who followed and favorited not only my story, but me as an author as well! Today you win my person of the day! Now on with Chapter 36!**

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Five days after the battles- At the guild (Levy POV)

'Gajeel, please wake up already, I miss you. I need you to wake up honey. WAKE UP YOU JERK!' I mentally yelled as I lay next to Gajeel, who was still unconscious, as he slept comfortably while I worried about him. 'It's been five days already, please wake up. I need to talk to you, your the only person I trust not to say anything.'

A tear escaped my eye, and fell onto Gajeel's cheek, I wiped my eyes so I wouldn't cry again as I thought about the fact that everyone I could have trusted was gone. 'Gajeel is here, Jet and Droy are busy teaching all the time now, and Lu-…Lucy is well, she isn't here anymore.' It felt strange not to call Lucy Lu-chan anymore but how could I? She killed someone, and that isn't so easily taken back, in fact it's damn near impossible unless she was a necromancer now.

I then felt a shift in the body next to me and a groan before the deep, gruff voice that I love more than anything said, "Ow my head. Where the fuck am I? Huh, Levy why are ya crying again?" I threw myself on top of Gajeel and started kissing him all over,

"Finally, you woke up! I was getting worried!" I said as I stopped kissing him as he sat up and I slid into his lap, looking like a young child compared to him and his immense height and massive muscles. It was like a giant having a smurf sit on his lap.

"Good morning to you too, but where the fuck am I? This isn't my room, everything is white and it looks like the guild's infirmary…" He paused mid question as he saw the look of concern on my face and then the memories of five days ago hit him like he were an anvil and the memories a hammer. "That fucking bastard... Salamander… THAT FUCKING BASTARD! WHERE IS HE? I'LL KILL HIM! HE FUCKING KILLED MASTER! WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?" Gajeel yelled as he tried to get up and I did my best to restrain him, but I was of no use.

So then Lily, who had entered when he heard me yell was forced to step in and go into his battle mode to restrain him. "Gajeel, you must remain calm! Getting angry will not help us! You must stay strong!" Lily said, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"Fuck that! That bastard killed the only man who treated me like a good person and like someone who deserved a chance, who deserved the same opportunity everyone else had! He killed the only other human I considered a parent! NOW WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?!" Gajeel yelled and threw Lily off of him and tried to get up.

"HE LEFT!" I yelled and looked at him pleadingly, "Just listen and I'll tell you everything. But please, just relax first. Please?" I asked and he looked at me and saw how desperate I was to get him to relax and listen, so he did and sat back down, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Ok, now after your battle we saw that he had killed Master and then him Lucy and the other three left," He looked at me in surprise when I said Lucy instead of Lu-chan, but I continued, "Yes, they left and no one has seen or heard about them since then and that was about five whole days ago. Not a peep. No one else won by the way. Jura and Lyon were hurt pretty badly, but have already returned to their hotel along with Richard and the rest of Lamia scale, also Erza and Jellal have gone home as well. Gildarts, Laxus, and Gray are all still unconscious and could remain so for a little while longer. I don't know why you were able to wake up today, but Mira, Elfman, Cobra, and Cana are all awake and everyone but Cana has gone home, she won't be for a while, her shoulder is completely destroyed as is her career as a mage."

I finished and watched as Gajeel processed everything and then said, as if he realized something, "What abut Juvia and Warrod? You didn't say anything about them."

I stiffened at his question and began debating to myself whether or not I should tell him the truth. I looked away sighing, and then I spoke because I knew he would figure out soon anyways, "They-they um, they didn't make it. They were killed in their battles. I'm sorry Gajeel."

I looked at him and saw the conflicting emotions on his face and began to cry, and he soon joined me to my surprise as he said, "No, no this can't be… She was supposed to be there for me, be like my surrogate sister. She would make sure I stayed on the straight path, be there for Joi so we could have fun together, be there for us to help us in the hard times and the good times. She was supposed to be a key part of our lives, she was supposed to be here! …Gray, that bastard. WHERE IS HE?! THAT OATH BREAKER! He promised to be there for her always, to protect her, to care for her and what does he let happen? HE LET HIS OWN WIFE DIE! WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?!" Gajeel yelled, struggling to get up as tried to hold him down.

"Gajeel! Please calm down! It wasn't his fault! He tried to protect her but Lucy was too strong for him…" I started and felt Gajeel tense up and I could feel the rage pouring out of him.

"Bunny girl killed her? OH THEN SHE IS THE ONE WHO IS GONNA DIE! WHEN I FIND HER I'M GONNA…" He started, but was cut off.

"DO WHAT? GET YOURSELF KILLED? Gajeel, you have to understand, at this time she is in a league above our own, she is on par with those known as the gods of Ishgar, she would kill us if she wanted to, but she didn't do it! We have a chance now! And we need to be alive to seize this opportunity! So please calm down and wait Gajeel, because we need to talk, a serious talk." I said and looked at him, he paused then grumbled but sat back down for the third time. "Ok, Gajeel listen, we need to go and find Metalicana and ask him for help. We need him to train you again. I know for a fact that he is near by because he actually is near Magnolia. He came and talked to me the other day and asked me to ask you this; will you let him train you one last time? And this would not be some stay at home training, but training that will include leaving here for a while, which is why I was told about this in advance. So I could decide what to do, and what I ended up deciding was… I am going to leave with you as well, along with Joi and Lily joining us. We all need to train and what better way to train than abroad and away from distractions? So will you please do this so we can avenge our friend?"

(POV Change to Gajeel)

I look at Levy and I wonder if what she said really was true, 'Are Natsu and Lucy really that much stronger than me? When did I fall so far behind? And Metalicana is here? So much for wondering where he ran off to, oh well at least this time he came back to me. But is training with him really going to be enough to catch and surpass Lucy and Natsu? Or is that just unrealistic? But then again, Salamander probably got training from Igneel so it would make sense to have Metalicana train me some more and to also catch up with him, lords know I need it, and that I want it. He hasn't even met Joi yet, or Lily for that matter. Ok, then I think that just about settles it.'

"Yes, I will. We should wait for the funerals to pass, but then once they do, we are gone, not even a full's weeks wait, ok? I wanna get out of here as soon as possible." I say as I sit up, but this time calmly and look around before asking, "Where's Joi?"

"She's with Olive and Maks, they are downstairs but more importantly can you stand? Or should I bring Porylusica to you?" Levy asked as she got off my lap.

I threw my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, quietly answering her question before I asked, "Ummm, do you have any clean clothes I can change into? These gowns are a bit strange. And plus they smell like shit."

Levy giggled and walked over to a chair with a bag on it and she pulled out my usual outfit of late. A black shirt with gray pants, and a headband that is a bright blue, matching Levy's hair. I put it on and stretched while doing so to wake up the muscles in my body, since that hadn't been moving in over five days now. "Ok, let's go find the old hag and talk to her, since I'm guessing she was the one taking care of me, right?" Levy nodded and we left the room and walk downstairs, looking for Porylusica and find her next to the bar, sitting and actually talking to people like a normal person. "So you actually talk to people now old hag? What, figured out you are human too, so hating humans was stupid right? Gihee." I said and looked at her.

She didn't even acknowledge my dig at her and simply said, "You're awake already? Impressive. How does your head feel, any light headedness? Any nausea? Trouble walking or seeing straight?"

"No to all of them and memory is still good. I wanted to ask you who was in charge until Laxus wakes up? We need to talk to that person about something." I asked as she nodded her head.

"I would be that person unfortunately, or so the wall says." She pointed to the wall behind the bar and there in master's writing are the words, 'Porylusica is in charge until Laxus wakes up, Not Macao, never Macao.' I laughed whiled nodding my head as this really did sound like something master would say.

"Ok well we need to talk in private so if you will follow us. Levy, Lily you too." I said and they all followed me into the back room. This was going to be interesting.

(POV Change to Wendy)

I watched as Gajeel and the others left the main room and headed to the back room and I sighed softly as I watched them. "What's wrong Wendy?" Doran asked and looked at me.

"Nothing, just wondering what that was all about. Never expected Gajeel to be up so soon, since his head was cracked open and all. Expected him to be our at least another day or two." I said very blandly, almost without any emotion as I felt dejected for some reason.

"Wendy, don't lie to me, I can tell when your lying, so please tell me what's wrong. I want to help you however I can, so please let me do so." Doran said and I felt myself get angry.

"I'M NOT FUCKING LYING! NOTHING IS WRONG!" I yelled at him and immediately felt my eyes water up. I start crying, the tears falling quickly and I can do nothing to stop them.

Doran pulls me into a hug and whispers in my ear, "Shhh, it's ok. I'm here for you, I won't leave you, ever." I hug him back and cry even harder, letting my emotions pour out of me.

I look down, I see his shadow and the memories of what happened to me flood my brain and I yell as I swear I saw the shadow flicker into a person. "GET HIM AWAY FROM ME! DON'T LET HIM TOUCH ME! GET AWAY!" I yell so loudly that Porylusica hears and comes out and sees me and runs over to me.

"Quick, someone turn on all the lights so there are no shadows! Hurry!" She commands and Levy one ups her by creating some light using her magic and it illuminates the whole room to the point where there can almost be no darkness at all.

"Hey Wendy, shhh, I'm here still. That bastard isn't. Shhh. It's ok, I'm here." Doran cooed into my ear and I realize just what the problem is, 'I have PTSD, and it's causing me to fall into depression, very quickly too. This is going to take a while, I can't even look at shadows. Am I really that broken?' I looked at myself and think about what just happened and think to myself, 'Yes, yes I am.' I start crying again and know that I wasn't going to stop any time soon, and that I was never going to be the same.

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**A/N: Whew, it's done! So I hope you guys like both chapters! And the plan is to do double chapter days every time we get a combination of ten or more! We're already at eight thanks to the voters, FanGirlLevy and touchofviper! SO PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Interrogations

**A/N: Welcome back! So, we were close yesterday to getting to ten already! We had eight of the necessary ten already! But then someone unfollowed… oh well, it happens I guess. But THEN THREE PEOPLE CAME UP CLUTCH FOR YOU GUYS! Shout out to brucie86 for the favorite of the story, and for the follow and favorite of me, and for the review! To TsuabakiSakura for the favorite and follow, AND TO ZaxForever for the favorite! Thanks to these three people there will be two updates tomorrow! One is just a regular chapter, while the other will be a one-shot! It's called "Thanks Jiji" So be on the lookout! Also the poll is now closed, the results being: Alive – 7, Dead – 1. We'll see if you guys are right soon enough. WARNING, INTERROGATION IS GRAPHIC, SO IF YOUR SQUEAMISH THEN ENJOY! BUT NO SERIOUSLY JUST SKIP IT. ENJOY!**

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Back in Naito, The next day (Gōsuto POV)

I wake up and look down to see Mai lying next to me and I smile slightly at her, leaning down a kissing the side of her head. "Good Morning Gōsuto." She said sleepily and looked up at me, yawning.

"Morning Mai, how did you sleep?" I said as I sat up, I crossed my legs and looked at her and grinned stupidly at her.

"Pretty well, I was pretty tired after what we did yesterday…" She blushed at the memory, well memories as we did it all day basically and didn't leave the room. It had been years since I had seen her or been able to do this, not since I left and went straight. I missed this, and I hope she did as well, she was only a year younger than Rai, who was a year older than me so we are the same age and have always been inseparable. I loved her the first time I saw her but never did anything for the first few years I knew her since Rai said not to or he would kill me. And I believed him, I had seen what happens to what to people who make a move on Mai, but eventually love won out. He hadn't caught us yet and we had done it in his bathroom a few times, man we had some fun. "What about you, Gōsuto?"

"I slept great, I was with the woman of my dreams, what else could I want?" I said as I kissed her and she melted into my arms, reciprocating my actions and more.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" I heard Rai yell as the door flew open and I saw him run at me. He grabbed me and put me in a chokehold with his magic, yelling, "Blinding Hold!" I struggled against the tentacles that held me in place and he looked at me before asking, "Is what you just said true? Do you love my sister or are you just trying to sweet talk her for sex, and yes I knew the whole time, you guys aren't exactly quiet."

I looked at him with a look on my face that said, 'Believe me, I'm not lying this time.' And said, "Yes, I love Mai more than anything, I have since I met her."

I looked at Mai who was smiling and had tears of joy running down her face, she ran up to her brother and smacked him on the head, saying, "Put him down! I love him too!"

Rai looked at her and then at me and smiled, he let me down and looked at both of us, saying, "So you both love each other, huh? Ok, this I can handle, yeah that's ok I guess." He looked at me and pulled me into a bone crushing hug, "YEAH! I CAN FINALLY GET A BROTHER I CAN TALK TO! But remember, hurt her and I'll kill you, let her get hurt and I'll kill you, break her heart and you'll wish I killed you. Capisce?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I promise you Mai, I will never hurt you. If I do then I will personally go to Rai and make sure he kills me. Love you babe." I said and looked at her with a grin plastered on my face. I looked at Rai and said, "Are Natsu and Lucy back yet? I want to know how long I can lounge around for." I then heard the lacrima buzzing and groaned, 'Am I projecting my thoughts or something here?' I turn it on and answer, "Gōsuto reporting."

"Report received. This is Natsu, we got Chung Fay and are on our way home. We'll be there in two hours, so be ready with Rai and your dad, it's gonna take a while to get the info. Also, have the jail prepped and dump the contents of the dimension you created to hold Lucy's magic in there. Natsu out." He said and turned off his lacrima.

"Damn, Mai I gotta go and get ready. Take care of the kids with Tsume, ok? I'll be back tonight." I said and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"Wait a minute… Dude, where are your clothes?" Rai asked and I looked down and saw I was naked, as was Mai. "AHHHHH MY EYES! GET DRESSED!" He yelled, running out of the room as I looked at Mai and shrugged and kissed her again, before I went into the bathroom and got dressed.

I got out of the bathroom and left the room as Mai was already gone, and walked down to Esoj's room and knocked on his door. "Oi open up! I need your help with something!"

The door opened ad revealed Esoj there… Esoj Jr. that is. "Hey Mr. Gōsuto, if you're looking for Mom and Dad, they went down to the other part of the mansion to work on some stuff, some sort of project they said. Where's Ms. Mai? Is she taking care of me again?" He asked and I looked at him and wondered if really was five years old, he seemed much older.

"Yes, she is. And ok thank you for the information, get ready though, she is probably on her way and will be with Raito most likely." At the mention of his new friend, his face lit up and he nodded, closing the door in my face without a goodbye. 'So maybe he is still a little young. Oh well.'

I walked down to the other end of the mansion and see the couple working on creating a big enough cavern for Lumen, which made me shiver. 'Damn, that thing is super creepy, almost made me shit myself when I first saw it. And of course I still have it inside of my dimensions, so yeah, great.'

They saw me and Nena said, "Oh you're here. I was about to call for you, the cavern is ready now, time to put it in. We'll be here to help control its transfer. We should do it now, as I hear the boss is almost back."

"You heard right, and when we're done here I need you to watch something for me, I'm leaving something in the dungeons. And I don't want it to escape." I said and began gathering the magic needed to release my hold on the dimension.

"Ok, fair enough. You ready yet, we wanna get this shit done with today, you know." Esoj said sarcastically and I glared at him.

"Yes, I am. You guys ready to hold it down, it seems a bit restless." I said as I felt Lumen struggling against my hold on it. They nodded and had metal ready to use, I breathed evenly and said, "Shadow: Dimension Release!" Then the cage Lumen was in and Lumen itself appeared and I fell back, the toll on myself being great since it was so big and powerful.

The duo got to work quickly, yelling in unison, "Acero!" "Ascensor!" Suddenly more steel appeared and was quickly turned into a lift that they used to lower Lumen in his cage into the cavern carefully. I stayed on the ground, unable to move as I was thoroughly wierded out by it, by the Lumen Historie. 'What the fuck is that thing? And how in the world did they fucking create that?!'

They finished dropping it down and released the magic they had casted and the elements disappeared. "Ok, so to the dungeons right?" Esoj asked nervously as Nena threw the cover on the cavern and sealed it shut for the time being.

"Yeah, let's go, quickly." I said and we all left in a bit of a hurry, not wanting to stay any closer to it. We walked in silence until we reached the dungeons, where I opened a cell door and gathered my magic again, before saying, "Shadow: Dimension Release!" Whatever was in there appeared and landed with a thud, during which I checked the time and said, "Well shit. He'll be here any second now, I gotta go. So remember, don't let her leave ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. We won't, you owe us though." Esoj said as I nodded and booked it to the front of the mansion where my dad and Rai were waiting.

"Took your time. He's about to land. What took you so long?" Rai asked as he looked at me with narrow eyes.

"Had to dump Lumen in it's new home, they finished building it." I said and Rai nodded and said nothing else.

Igneel landed and Natsu and Lucy jumped off, Fay over Natu's shoulder. "Is the cavern done yet?" Natsu asked and I nodded, he turned to Igneel and said, "Go and guard it, please? I don't want anyone within breathing distance, heck within looking distance if you can pull that off. Just make sure no one gets close, especially anyone who can speak Spanish." Igneel nodded and flew off to where Lumen is stored.

"If you guys are ready, lets get started. I want to get rid of him as soon as possible." Lucy said and we all nodded and went off to the room we had chosen as the interrogation room, a room that was high up and had a window that if thrown out of, there was nothing to stop the fall. We walked in silence for a bit until Lucy asked, "Did you do that other thing we asked you to do?"

"Yes, it's in the dungeon, waiting for you guys to visit now. I left Esoj and Nena to watch over it." I said and Lucy nodded and leaned over to Natsu and whispered something to him. He nodded and she went off in the direction of the dungeons and immediately I understand where she is going and what she is going to do. "We're here." I said and we all stopped before dad opened the door and led us in, a single chair being the only furniture in the room.

"Ok, set him down and let's get ready. Tie him down and get out of the way. Gōsuto come here, you too Rai. Gōsuto you know what to do, as do you Rai." Dad said and we all took our positions, before starting dad said, "Natsu, if you want to see what is happening then get next to me, if not then get away from me." Natsu came close and put a hand on his shoulder, so he could see but not be harmed. "Ok, then. Let us begin. Fay, tell us what we want to know. What were you looking for and where is Zeref?!"

"HA! You think I would tell you that? I am not crazy!" Fay said and we all sighed, knowing this would take a while.

"Ok have it your way." Dad said and looked at me and we nodded and yelled in unison, "Shadow: Nightmare S!"

I watch as Fay is thrust into a dream world and is suddenly tied to a cross by an unseen force. Then a thousand masked men appeared, all of them with knives in their hands. Then one by one, they each walk up to him and stabbed him on his body, varying by the person. With each stab Fay yells out in pain, the yells getting louder and louder as time went on. When they all had stabbed him, my dad's voice called out to Fay and asked, "Had enough? Answer the questions and I'll stop."

"No. I won't say a thing." He said as he breathed heavily, his body visibly shaking but not his resolve.

"Ok, you asked for it. Here we go again." And we did, for five turns, the knifemen stabbing him for what seemed to be hours to Fay, but was only a few minutes for us. "Had enough yet?"

"No… no I won't say anything." Fay said and we all sighed again.

"Ok, remember you asked for this." Dad looked at me and mouthed W, and I nodded. "Shadow: Nightmare W!" We shouted in unison and the world Fay was in changed, this time a pool of water was the only thing that was there. We watched as Fay was grabbed by the collar by an unseen force and plunged into the water, and left there for a while, before the bubbles that were his air stopped. Fay was pulled out and was not moving, then eels came out from the water and electrocuted him near his heart. He jolted alive and was plunged back into the water, and this happened at leats ten times before dad called out to him, "You wanna talk now?"

"N-No… I will not talk yet." Fay said and I raised my eyebrow at his word choice, 'Yet? So he is close, I think.' I looked at dad and he noticed the same thing, and nodded at me, 'So what we're gonna use that nightmare? Rai will have to help with this.'

"Shadow: Nightmare R!" And suddenly we were in a dark room where Fay was on a table, lying down and unable to move. Then a scalpel came down and connected with his gut, cutting it open for him to see. He yelled out in pain and watched as the contents of his gut were removed, intestines first, followed by his stomach, and so on and so forth. 'Man I hate this nightmare, it's disgusting. But it is the most effective at getting people to talk.' As the last part of his stomach was removed, my dad called out, "You ready to talk?"

Fay breathed in and mustered his strength, "No. No."

I sighed and watched as dad said, "Ok then, get ready for this." The scalpel moved upwards and cut his chest open as he screamed out in pain, as his lungs and heart were removed. He yelled in pain and didn't stop yelling until the scalpel moved south towards his crotch and I closed my eyes for this part.

"WAIT! WAIT! I'll talk, I'll talk… Just please stop!" Fay yelled out and he had a wild look in his eyes, and I smirked as I knew that this would work.

"Ok, good boy. Now what are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for two things, one called the book of Tartarus, his book of demons. The other is called Lumen Historie, or rather where it was made." We all looked at him with eyes wide, we knew he wasn't lying, he looked too scared to lie now.

"Ok, now where is Zeref?" Dad asked.

Fay shook his head and said, "I don't know! I usually meet a guy named Mern, he works directly for Zeref and tells me what to do. I swear!" We nodded and looked at each other, as we knew this was the truth, "His full name is Mern Greer. Supposed to be Mard Greer's brother or something."

"Good boy. Now night night." Natsu said and knocked him out. "Well, at least know we have both things he wants. I destroyed the book already and we have all the information on Lumen Historie, so that's good."

"Yeah, but we should find this Mern guy, he will lead us straight to Zeref. And the fatser we find Zeref, the faster we can end this whole thing." Rai said and we all nodded in agreement.

"Ok, I'll see what my sources can turn up. But if he's relater to THE Mard Greer, then it won't be easy. He'll be way stronger than Fay was. We'll need a more precise way of capturing him" Dad said and we looked at Natsu.

"Ok, I'll let you and Igneel handle that, meanwhile I have something else to do as well. Good work guys." Natsu said and saluted us as he left the room, leaving us to absorb the information and piece it all together.

(POV Change to Natsu)

I walk over to the dungeons and check my watch, 'Wow, that only took twenty minutes, surprised he broke that quickly. They really did a number on his brain.' I walk past the rooms in the mansion until I arrive at the area designated as our dungeons. I open the door and enter, seeing Lucy hunched over whispering something.

"You break her yet?" I asked and she nodded at me, she got up and walked over to me.

"She's all your now. She is ripe for us to use." Lucy said.

I nodded and walked over to her and kneeled down, poking her side. "Hey Juvia, wake up. I need to talk to you." I waited but she didn't move, I looked back at Lucy and she shrugs. "I SAID WAKE UP! STUPID BITCH!" I yelled and kicked her a few times.

She grunted in pain and started crying, and by the sound of which wasn't the first time today. "Oi, no crying! Get up!" I yelled and she obeyed and I saw her eyes were swollen form the crying, but she had stopped for now. "Good, now are you going to help us, or do we have to convince you some?"

"Yes… I will." She responded dejectedly.

"Good. Don't forget, they stopped looking for you after only a month of searching. It's been over a year now since you disappeared, they clearly don't care about you. You are no longer a Fairy Tail mage, but a?" I said, lying to her obviously.

Juvia nodded and replied,"I am a Ronin."

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**A/N: DUN DUN DUN! I AM THE EMODIMENT OF EVIL! FEAR ME! Jk, but man are they crazy or what? And that interrogation was graphic, but did no actual physical damage to Fay, just his mind. Now get ready for tomorrow, because the One-shot will be posted! SO PLEASE ENJOY AND READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Master Laxus

**A/N: Hello there everyone! So the one-shot shall come tonight, but late tonight! Probably late, maybe earlier if I can write fast but we'll see. Shout out today goes to KitAlbert07 for following not just the story but me as well! Now without much else to say, ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

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Continuing from Last Chapter (Natsu POV)

"I am a Ronin." Juvia said emotionlessly and I nodded.

"Yes, yes you are. Now say it with a smile and some conviction!" I said and looked at her, waiting for her to do so but she never did irritating me. "I said, say it with a smile and conviction! NOW!" I yelled at her causing her to flinch at my volume level.

"I AM A RONIN!" She said as she looked at me with smile, but her eyes betrayed her as they said she was feeling nothing but fear and sadness.

I sighed and said, "Listen Juvia, I know your sad right now, I would be too if my supposed family abandoned me and never even bothered to look for me very hard. But you must turn that sadness into anger! Create an insatiable thirst for revenge! You should want to see them again, especially that moronic husband of yours, so you can show them just how you feel!"

She looked at me and something clicked in her mind that we had altered, and she nodded the sadness leaving her eyes, "YES! Juvia will get her revenge! She will show that Gray who is boss!" She surprised me at how quickly she had changed, first of all her depression was over as she now spoke in third person again, and she called Gray just Gray. No Gray-sama.

I smiled and said, "Good Juvia, good. Now recite for me the motto that Lucy taught you."

She nodded and then yelled very loudly, "THOUGH WE MAY HAVE NO TRUE HOME WE ARE NEVER ALONE! THOUGH NO ONE MAY WANT US WILL DO WHAT IS NEEDED! THOUGH NO ONE MAY APPRECIATE WHAT WE DO WE WILL ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING! WE ARE THE FORSAKEN, THE FORGOTTEN, THE LOST, WE ARE THE RONIN! DEATH TO OUR ENEMIES AND TO THE EVER LASTING GLORY THAT AWAITS US IN THE FUTURE. LIVE! FIGHT! LIVE AND FIGHT FOREVER!" She finished with a smile and I saw that we had done a thorough job in brainwashing her.

"Ok, welcome to the Ronin Juvia. Virgo! I know you're here I can smell you. Show Juvia to her room and get her situated and give her the tour of the mansion, or as we call it 'The Castle'." I said but paused when I heard what sounded like suppressed laughter.

I looked at Lucy who was the culprit and then she burst out laughing as I deadpanned at her. "Natsu, no one call this place that! Just call it home already!"

"Luce! Let me have my fun! Back me up here and I'll let you be on top tonight!" I said and Lucy immediately shut up and nodded her head.

"Sorry, my mistake. He is correct, it is called 'The Castle'." She said seriously as Juvia sweat dropped.

"Good, now after your tour get a chore schedule from Kurayami and then find Esoj. You will train with him and his wife everyday until you are the necessary level to truly be considered a Ronin. You are dismissed." I said and she stood upright and saluted, then ran off with Virgo and left us alone. "I still don't get why you wanted to do this to her, I don't see the point and there is no guarantee she will ever become strong enough. There is no real gain or reward from doing this you know." I said and looked at Lucy.

"It's to get revenge on that idiot Gray. He disrespected me and went too far with his actions. He underestimated me in a battle and didn't fight me seriously. We will use Juvia to fight him the next time and have him crumble mentally as he is forced to fight the woman he loves, and that is a revenge that I can't wait to see. Don't give me that look, you know if someone did that you would want some revenge too." She said, looking at me.

"Yeah probably. Actually, I probably would have just killed him or her, whoever did that to me. But this is a bit much, no?" I asked and looked at her.

"Maybe, but I will not stand for anyone, and I mean anyone disrespecting me. I will not allow that to happen and will do what needs to be done, and this is necessary to me. Just trust me on this one ok?" She said and looked at me and I thought about and then nodded.

"Ok, I trust you. But tonight I get to be on top, I hate being on bottom and will probably just do it anyways. Now let's get going, we have stuff to plan and people to find and beat." I said and held out my hand so she could take it.

She took it and pulled me to her real quick and kissed me passionately, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her up so she was gripping my hips tightly. I walked us over to the door and kicked it open, and walked us down to where our room was and kicked open the door and shut it again, 'Man I love her sex drive.'

A bit later we exited the room and I was pouting, "No fair! You used your whip to tie me down so you could be on top! That was so not cool!"

"Sorry, I just really wanted to be on top for once. It doesn't end in me not being able to walk. But I promise tonight I'll so that thing you really like. I promise!" She said and I looked at her, instantly hard again and I grabbed her by the hand and tried to drag her back to the room so we could go again right now. "Not yet! Wait until tonight and you'll get it how you like it! I promise, but now we have some business to take care of first." She said and I sighed.

"Fine, but this better not take too long, I really don't want to wait any longer. Hey, uh Luce, where are we going?" I asked as she sighed.

"I knew you forgot. We're going to the meeting room because Kurayami found something about the guys Fay gave up. Now let's get going." She said and led us to the meeting room.

We arrived soon after and walked inside and saw Kurayami talking to someone via a lacrima and saw us enter. "Natsu come here, I have a guy who says he knows where Mern is hiding."

"Yes, I do. Name's Karr, and I am a tracker mage like Kurayami's son was. I had been ordered to keep track of this guy by the council but I stopped reporting in since they were able to tell who I worked for. Kurayami here contacted me just when I found out where he is. But there is a catch, he's hiding from Zeref too. Apparently Zeref found out that Mern lost Fay pretty quickly and sent some guys after him. Mern killed them and has been fighting them off here and there for the entire day, and now he's in hiding in a town called Inpei. It's a place where people go if they want to disappear and not be found. Luckily I did cause I'm staying in the same place he is. This information is legit, I already sent some before and after photos of Mern before he was in shit and now. It's him alright. Better hurry though I can't guarantee he'll stay too long." Karr said and I nodded.

"Ok, thanks for the information, keep tabs on him and I'll be there soon. I know where Inpei is and from here it should take about six hours. I'll leave now." I said and waved goodbye, turning off the lacrima. "Ok, Rai, Lucy, and Gōsuto, your with me. Kurayami your in charge here, hopefully we won't need to interrogate him but just in case, get ready. Esoj, Juvia, and Nena, keep doing what you were doing. Make sure she gets stronger, ok Esoj?" Everyone nodded and saluted. "Ok, break!" I said

Everyone relaxed before saying the motto, a tradition when we do plans as risky as this, "THOUGH WE MAY HAVE NO TRUE HOME WE ARE NEVER ALONE! THOUGH NO ONE MAY WANT US WILL DO WHAT IS NEEDED! THOUGH NO ONE MAY APPRECIATE WHAT WE DO WE WILL ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING! WE ARE THE FORSAKEN, THE FORGOTTEN, THE LOST, WE ARE THE RONIN! DEATH TO OUR ENEMIES AND TO THE EVER LASTING GLORY THAT AWAITS US IN THE FUTURE. LIVE! FIGHT! LIVE AND FIGHT FOREVER!" And with that, we all left and went our separate ways, hopefully so that we can come back and meet up here again, like a family always does.

(POV Change to Laxus, is the day that Gray woke up)

I wake up to a massive commotion from the room next door and I hear a crash and someone crying, "So, I guess someone just found out someone died." I said as I sat up.

"Whoa there sparky. Take it easy or your not getting shit from me. And we're even by the way, sparky." Olive said as she made me lay back down again.

"Even? What did you owe me? Or did I owe you something." I asked and looked at her.

"From our wedding day, when I made you think I had left you. You fucking idiot, you almost died and made me worry for nothing! Come on, how could you do that to me?" She said and I couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her shaking my head. "Oh, and where is Jiji? I haven't seen him yet, although I have spent the entire time holed up in here, and it's been seven days now, yes you were unconscious for a whole week."

I looked at her and saw she really had no clue what had happened. I looked away and felt tears stinging my eyes, before I said very quickly and quietly, almost a whisper that no one could have heard, "Jiji was killed."

"What? What did you say and what's wrong Laxus? Why won't you look me in the eye? What happened?" She asked and I finally felt my restraint on the tears break.

"HE DIED OK! HE WAS KILLED BY THAT BASTARD NATSU! I… I could only watch as he was killed by one of the many people he considered his surrogate sons… and I COULD ONLY STAND THERE AND LET HIM DO IT!" I yelled as the tears were flowing freely now, Olive saw this and slapped me.

"Are you sure that this is the Laxus that married me? Are you sure this the Laxus that made me fall madly in love with him? No, this is a Laxus who is being a little whiny bitch." She said and I stared at her. "The Laxus I know would not just cry and complain, sure he would be sad for the loss of his Jiji, the man he truly considered his real father. But he would use it as motivation, already planning how to get back and avenge him. Not whine and complain about being useless. Now which Laxus are you? Are you wittle Waxus, the baby? Or are you Laxus Dreyar? Master of Fairy Tail and the true Ace of this guild!" She asked annoyed and I looked at her.

'Wow, I never thought about like that. She's right! I am being a whiny bitch right now. I will mourn of course, but I must be strong! I will become stronger and I will get my revenge! Natsu Dragneel, you will be defeated, and I will then truly have earned my title as master.' "You're right, my name is LAXUS DREYAR! MASTER OF FAIRY TAIL! And my target will be the head of Natsu Dragneel." I said and gnashed my teeth at the sound of his name.

"Good, now change Maks' diaper, I've been doing it all week and it's your turn now." She said smiling at me. "And there is no escaping it, you owe me for everything that's happened. Now hurry up and change his diaper so we can start the morning process and get the funerals done. Come on, chop chop."

I sighed and stood up and looked around and saw Maks lying down fidgeting on a makeshift bed for him. 'Great, it's gonna be messy. He's lucky I love him more than life itself.' I changed his diaper and looked up when I was done and just burned the dirty one. I sighed at finally being done and watched Maks fall asleep, finally clean and able to rest. Then he surprised me by opening his eyes momentarily and saying as if in a question, "Jiji?"

Olive had gotten up and was now standing next to me, and I looked at her wide eyed. She didn't look up however and instead I heard her begin to cry, and then came the tears n droves. I soon was crying myself, thinking to myself, 'He never even got a chance to really meet Jiji, and now he's never going to have one. Jiji…'

I began crying freely as Olive grabbed me and hugged my torso, barely making it to my chest. I hugged her back and cried even louder than before, loud enough for Porylusica to hear me apparently. "Master Laxus, I will watch the child, go and join the others outside. Your Raijinshū are waiting for their king and queen, their words not mine." She looked at us and nodded, as if encouraging us to leave so we can begin the healing process. I flinched slightly at her use of master but didn't correct her, as it really was my title now.

"Ok, thank you very much." I said quickly in between my sobs, trying to compose myself. I grabbed Olive's hand and walked out the door and saw that the upper level was now a hospital. I looked downstairs and saw everyone waiting for us and I walked down there, doing my job. "Hello everyone." I said and everyone looked at me. "Thank you for coming here and offering your condolences to Olive and I. And we graciously accept them, and there will be a funeral soon, as soon as everyone is able to do so. But after that, we must prepare for our chance at revenge. We will have one whole to prepare, so we must take advantage of it! Those we once considered nakama have forgotten what that word means, as have we for a time. But now, now I think we remember what it means again. It means that the person standing next to you is not just a guild member but a brother, a sister, a family member! We are a family here, and we will prove it! They have killed some of our family, and we must not stand for it! We will rise up again and remind them just who Fairy Tail is!" I said and the guild broke out into a deafening cheer, clearly awoken form their stupor they had been in since the Natsu incident first occurred, 'Huh that was easy enough. Natsu, you have caused this guild a lot of pain, as have others who lied to us, but you have caused a great deal of the pain, and you must take the lion's share of the responsibility. An eye for an eye does not make the world go blind, just one person. That person will be you Natsu.'

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**A/N: Whew, I'm done! That was fun to write and Lucy really is pure evil now! But hey so is Natsu so it all balances out. I guess. So, I was wondering, do you guys want the one-shot today or tomorrow? I could post it really late tonight or just post it kind of early tomorrow, but it's up to you guys! If I don't get any responses it will go up tonight, but that will mean late at night so it really is up to when you guys want to read it. Any who, please remember, READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39: When I say Hello, You Say Goodbye

**A/N: Hello people! We have hit the thirty followers mark (Pops the confetti and turns up the celcbration music)! Welcome saracresp to our family of followers and I also thank you for your review, as well as a welcome and shout out to tigress808. And to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER, a devoted reader, thanks for you review and yes you are correct Natsu is a horn dog. Enjoy the chapter my friends/acquaintances/strangers/awesome readers.**

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Same Day (POV Change to Natsu)

"There it is, Inpei. Home to the most people on the run in all of Fiore. It's ugly as shit." I said as we neared the city, it is a dull gray and is gray everywhere you look, it's like looking at a wall in a jail cell, boring as shit. But it also was my home for a year when I was hiding from everyone, and it's where Lucy found me so it holds special place in my heart. We landed and Lucy and I hopped off of Igneel's back, while Rai and Gōsuto appeared from the latter's shadow dimension. "Ok everyone, get close to me so I can go over the plan." I said and they did as instructed, "Right, Luce you get underneath me while I…"

I was smacked on the head as Lucy blushed and yelled, "THE BATTLE PLAN BAKA! NOT TONIGHT'S PLAN!"

"Oh yeah. Sorry…" I said scratching my head as everyone sweat dropped, "Right, Rai and Gōsuto, you two will go and secure the city and do some recon to see if anyone else is here looking for him. You see any demons, you kill them no questions asked. And no, Gōsuto does not count. Igneel you do a fly over of the city and make sure there is no massive magical enforcement force coming. You see anything like that and you light the signal, Gōsuto if you or Rai see that signal you let me know via lacrima. Luce your with me, we need to find Karr quickly and then find Mern. Once we do, we get out of here, I'll light the signal and Igneel, you come straight to us, Gōsuto and Rai you too I don't to waste any time here. Got it? Good let's go."

We all split into our groups like the professionals we are and head off to do our jobs. Lucy follows my lead as I know the city very well and Karr had given us his location before we landed, some three hours ago. We walk quickly and boldly, knowing our cloaks bought us secrecy and fear as everyone knew the cloak of the Ronin by now. We walked and people would move, terrified by the renown the cloaks brought, and the understanding of what that meant. Shit was going down, and it was best just to get out of the way.

We arrived at Karr's location and saw him waiting for us outside, "Mern is in here. Hurry I'm hearing something is coming, and it's a lot of somethings apparently."

"Zeref's demons?" I asked as I looked at him and then at Lucy, "Or Magic enforcement?"

"No clue, just got word of it, my sources are working on giving me the rest of the information. We better hurry." Karr said and I nodded and opened the door to the building.

I enter and look around and see the stairs, "Which floor?"

"Third." Karr said and I ran up the stairs as fast as I could with Lucy hot on my tail, Karr a bit further back but still right with us.

We made it to the third floor and I asked, "Room number?"

"B-52. It's on the left, three doors from the end." Karr said and I was at the door in a moment, Lucy there just after me and Karr a second later.

I looked at them and nodded, they all nodded and Lucy grabbed her whip while Karr built up some magic. I held up my hand and counted down to three with my fingers and when I reached zero, I busted the door open. I look and saw Mern who was up now and ready to fight, but I held up my hand and said, "Wait. You are in trouble as far as I know. We are willing to help, but we need you to come with us and help us out as well."

"Why should I believe you guys? You guys got me into this mess, and now you want to help? How do I know you won't just stab me in the back when I'm not looking?" Mern said and looked at us, knowing just exactly who we were.

"Because you don't want to have Zeref find you, and because I can promise you safety and a chance at revenge. He used you like a tool then threw you away when you failed just once, that would make any man angry and thirsty for revenge. Am I right, or no? I'm right huh?" I said and looked at him as he pondered my logic.

He finished his reverie and looked at me, "Alright, yeah you are right. I'll trust you on this one, but don't expect it to be easy to get me out of here. Zeref knows how much I know and wants me dead, when he wants someone dead they usually end up dead."

"Don't worry, we won't let that happen. I already have my men combing the city for anyone suspicious or for any demons, so if they are here we will kill them. Now let's get going so we can leave." I said and Mern nodded, so we all filed out of the room quickly and booked it out of there. We got outside and looked around and saw Igneel flying up, giving us the signal that magic enforcement was here. "Shit. There here, quick Gōsuto! I know your nearby now, what the situation look like?"

Gōsuto popped out of the shadows and said, "Igneel can't reach us, they set up runes and he can't get to us. We'll have to fight our way out."

"YOOOOSSSHHH! I'm all fired up! Remember the last time we had to fight them Luce? That was a lot of fun!" I said and chuckled, as did Lucy.

"Yeah, that was the last time I had to go all out, so this should be fun!" She said and Mern and Karr sweat dropped.

"Hey, we're here too you know! There will be no need to go all out, heck Rai and me would be enough." Gōsuto said as Rai nodded.

"I may not know you guys very well, but Kurayami does and said to trust you guys, so I will. You can count on me." Karr said and we nodded at him.

"I'll fight as well, I know I need a good work out." Mern said and we nodded at him as well.

"Ok, where are they?" I asked Gōsuto and looked around.

"Oh they surrounded us while we were talking, they're everywhere." Gōsuto said and we all deadpanned at him.

"WELL THEN WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING?!" We all yelled and he shrugged, I sighed and said, "Whatever, just kick their asses so we can go home. Charge!"

We all cheered and went off in six directions, and begun our attack. I arrived at my group, fists ablaze and I immediately launch my attack, "Fire Dragon's Roar!" My roar shoots out flames and several of them are blown away by the force of the attack and others are crushed by those who were sent flying. I then get close to some more and I yell, "Fire Dragon's Fire Wave!" A massive wall of flame shoots out from my hand and engulf the enemy, setting them ablaze with fire that, while hot, will not burn them alive. I point my hands like pistols at another cluster of them and yell, "Fire Dragon's Machine Gun!" Flames start shooting out of my fingers at lightning speed and keep hitting that side of the group I had taken and that side was soon almost completely gone. I blew my fingers out like I would a gun after firing it.

Then I sensed a few try and sneak up on me and I spin on them and yell, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist." This sends them flying, and they crash into some other of their fellow soldiers that were about to charge. I jump to the side and evade a projectile of sorts and it crashes into some other soldiers knocking them back a bit. I turn and see the culprit and charge at that general area and hold out my fists again, "Fire Dragon's Cannon!" A large ball of fire shoots out of my hands and like a cannonball hit the target and explodes, sending them all flying. I look over my shoulder and see that there is only a handful left so I yell at them, "Surrender and I won't hurt you!"

They looked at each other and threw down their weapons and laid down on their stomachs, hands on their heads. I looked around and saw that everyone else was finishing up as well, no one really hurt or even tired. "Natsu Dragneel, we meet again." I heard someone say and I look around, and saw Lahar standing there.

"Ah, Lahar, we meet again. Man you look like shit, what just wake up or something? Tell me when did they let you out of the hospital? I heard you were still in there as of last week, and we fought over three years ago." I said mockingly as Lucy soon joined me a moment later. Then the other four all arrived and I looked around saw no one else standing. "Looks like it's just you Lahar, so you gonna fight or just give up? I would suggest the latter, seeing as we defeated your entire force in less than… Fifteen minutes."

"I will never surrender! I was in that hospital ever since then, now I will fight…" He never finished his defiance as I simply released all my magical power and suffocated him until he was unconscious.

"Pathetic, all I did was show him the gap between us, come on. Let's go, I'm bored now." I said and saw as everyone but Lucy was a bit shocked by my power, trying to comprehend just how big the gap was for them. Lucy didn't have a reaction, as she was close to me in power, not quite the same but close. Closest I have ever seen.

They regained their composure and nodded, Mern saying, "Yeah you could fight Zeref if necessary. When the time comes, I mean. Yeah, you will fight with him, he won't just let you do as you please for much longer. But that is what you want, right?"

"Yeah, yeah it is. Now come on, we have shit to do. Karr, you're welcome to join us if you want, we could always use tracker in our line of work." I said and looked at Karr as I saw Igneel coming down as the runes were gone now.

"Well I can't go back now, they will know I helped you guys so I have nothing else to do. So yeah, why not join you guys, I may be older but I still got some kick in me." Karr said and I nodded as Igneel landed.

"Well then, Mern and Karr, welcome to the Ronin!" I said and welcomed them, saying hello once more to some new members. (Gray POV)

I wake up again and my head feels like a train hit it, repeatedly. 'Goddamn Erza. She is a fucking monster. Ow.' I look around and see no else in the room and the only thing I see is… 'Juvia…' Juvia's hat is next to me and I reach over and grab it, pulling it close to myself and my chest. I clutch it tightly and begin crying, which soon there after turn into full blown sobbing on my part.

"Gray…" I heard a gruff and angry sounding voice and I already know who it is.

"Gajeel." I say and look to the door seeing the man who, while he sounded angry looked more sad than anything. I wipe my eyes, or at least try to but that would mean losing my vice grip on Juvia's hat and that wasn't happening. "What do you want?"

He sighed and closed the door and sat down in a chair he pulled up, "I'm not here to yell or fight you. I'm here to talk to you, man to man." I looked at him in disbelief and he noticed, "What don't believe me? Well fuck you. I came here of my own decision, Levy didn't send me here, nor did master, er Laxus."

I was confused but answered, "Ok… what do you want?"

"First, put down the hat man, you look absolutely pathetic like this." He said and I clutched the hat even tighter, and shook my head furiously not wanting to lose the comfort it gave me. "Ok, never mind. Too early for that I guess. But Gray, you do need to at least tell me, what are you going to do about this entire situation."

I looked at him now thoroughly and utterly shocked, 'Why does he even care? He usually says something to me and then we start fighting each other, we don't have serious, adult level conversations like this. Ever.' I kept looking at him and then realize, 'But he does have a point. I mat have been unconscious for a while, but I should have been able to figure out what I plan to do just from thinking about it, right?'

"I'll take your silence as you haven't figured it out yet. Well when you do let me know. What you should know is how everyone else faired, in their fights I mean." He said and I nodded suddenly interested and hoping that only we lost, wishful thinking. "We were crushed, totally and completely crushed. Every battle ended in defeat for us, Erza and Jellal lost to that shadow creep, the one who hurt Wendy and has now officially broken her mind. She is now scared of shadows and yells at them whenever she sees one. Jura and Lyon lost, but perhaps Jura was the closest to winning, other than maybe Warrod. Jura had his back broken in a few places but he's fine now, but Lyon is not. He was hit by lava created by the enemy, it hit him in the face and did some serious damage. His face is now ugly as fuck, scarred and charred, he looks like a mummy or something, scares the shit out of everyone." When he told me about Lyon my heart nearly broke again, but couldn't as it was already broken. "Warrod… he didn't make it. He was killed by his ex pupil as he attempted to kill him himself, according to him at least. He is now able to appear as a ghost like Mavis, and… well and Master Makarov. Yes, unfortunately Natsu was too much for us. He had us on the ropes and master was forced to try and use Fairy Law. Natsu knew if he let master use it he would die and so was forced to kill him, or lose the battle. Laxus is officially the master now, seeing as you and you're attempted escape woke him up…"

I realized he had stopped because I had begun crying again, and felt my heart completely in shambles now. He sighed and continued, "Ok, I'll be quick now. Mira, Elfman, Richard, and Cobra came out unscathed, but Cana had her arm completely destroyed and has been forced to retire as a mage. At least from fighting." He said and looked at me, as I had stopped crying more or less now as I attempted to not totally lose my pride. He stood up and put a hand on my shoulder, "I'll leave you now, just know this. I was angry at you before, but I got over it as I remembered just how close to family Juvia was, meaning that by default, so are you now. I forgive you, now forgive yourself."

He left and closed the door leaving me to think about all that he said. 'So much happened… Master is dead as is Warrod, both people that I respected, but master is a shocker. I knew Natsu wasn't afraid of killing people anymore, not after Lisanna. But to kill the man who helped raise him? I never thought I would hear myself say this, but Natsu Dragneel is a serious threat to Fairy Tail. So is Lucy now, man this whole thing is fucked up. Not even a week ago and I still considered Lucy a nakama, a sister, someone I can trust and confide in. But now, now I truly do believe she is an enemy and if I fought with her again, I would actually kill her… Yes, that's what I'm going to do, but I can't let anyone know, they wouldn't let me fight her if they knew. But yes that is what I will do, I WILL KILL LUCY HEARTIPHILIA.' I sat up after a while and then stood up slowly, putting on some clothes as I had somehow stripped and left the clothes under the sheets. I walked to the door and looked at the one piece of clothing I had not discarded and knew I never would, Juvia's hat. I gripped it tightly and opened the door and walked outside, looking for Gajeel so we could talk again, the answer to his question ready, 'Time to say goodbye Lucy.'

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**A/N: AND FIN! For today at least. Well that was fun! I loved how Natsu just made an entire battalion of hardened warriors look like they were just practice dummies, Lol. And Gray is definitely now the same anymore, he's a lot darker now. I LOVE IT! AHHHH! I hope you liked it and remember, READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Two Lines Means…

**A/N: Hello there everyone! I won't bore you with pleasantries, just a quick shout out to codevivi for the follow, and to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER and brucie86 for the review! Now enjoy chapter 40!**

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Three Days Later (Lucy POV)

I sigh as I wake up and look over to see Natsu not there, but a note is instead, _'Lucy, went with Mern to scout a possible location Zeref might be at. You are in charge and make sure Juvia's training and transition into Ronin is still smooth. Love you and be back tomorrow. –Natsu'._ 'That's right, Zeref is always moving apparently and has a lot of places he likes to stay at. He kills everything he touches if stays too long at any one place, so he always moves. This is gonna take a while to find him, but oh well. At least me and Natsu will get some time together. Maybe a full week together for once! AH! That would make so happy!'

I smile at his considerate note and stretch a bit, 'Well, now I have to figure out how to spend my… BATHROOM!' I felt my stomach ready to come flying up and out my mouth, so I ran to the bathroom and did just that. 'What's wrong with me? I have been throwing up every morning since we got back from Inpei, but I don't feel like I have a stomach flu. So what could it be?' I think on it some more as Virgo appears from her new room, the one across from mine. Virgo now lives out here full time as it doesn't really drain my magic too much and is very useful. She does go back once a week as she misses the others, but she is adjusting to being human almost very well.

"Princess, are you alright? You have been vomiting in the mornings a lot. But strangely only in the mornings…" She said and we both looked at each other wide eyed.

"No… no way, I would be able to tell right?" I asked Virgo and she shrugged, then as if something hit her she ran out the door and the room was silent a moment. She returned a moment later with a still half asleep Nena in tow and I realized her logic. "Good call Virgo! Nena, I need your help, I have been vomiting every morning now since I left Inpei, do you think it could be…"

Her eyes went wide and she was now fully awake, "Maybe. Let's go to the clinic and make sure it is though. Magic makes things funky sometimes and can make weird things happen. Come on, I leave Esoj to train Juvia today, who by the way is much stronger than I originally thought she was. She'll be ready in about three months. I think. So long as she trains everyday." I was surprised by her report as Juvia didn't seem that far along, but was pleased none the less.

"Good, the faster we can have her fully ready to be a Ronin, the better. We could use her and her magic to help us make missions easier. A water mage could help us escape or blow away a lot of people in one fell swoop. And she can also cool Natsu off in a second. That is very helpful for me, and for everyone else. How is her mental state? Is she holding up or does she have break downs?" I asked as we walked to the clinic which was close by.

"No, she has been good so far. Not even one tear or sad face, which I think is alarming in of itself. She should be a little sad no? We did tell her that her friends, family, and husband never really looked for her, but its as if she has no feelings about it." Nena said as I smiled slightly.

"No its good, it's very good. She has turned her sadness into anger, and that anger into motivation. Yes, yes she is motivated now. This is why she is so much stronger, she used her hate to fuel her magical power and it has grown because of it. She will grow and become stronger even faster than you thought, I say giver her a month. Month and a half at most, she will get strong very fast." I said and Nena nodded as we arrived at the clinic.

"Hello there! Welcome to Naito General Hospital, how can we help you? OH! Mrs. Dragneel! What brings you here?" The clerk asked as she knew me and Natsu well now, since Natsu burned me sometimes when he got mad, all on accident as I punched him to make him stop. His face was on fire though so I don't know why I always did that.

"Ummm, I need to buy THAT kind of test, and see a doctor right away." I said as her eyes lit up and she nodded. We were all quickly whisked away and into a room, as they knew just exactly who we were and wanted us to not be mad at them. A doctor came in soon after and I was quickly given the test and was forced to wait. Though not very long as the doctor came back, a smile on her face as she looked at me.

"Well Mrs. Dragneel, the test was positive! Now we should discuss all the appointments you'll need to make and what not, ok?" The doctor said and I nodded on instinct, I was too shocked to actually react properly. She had handed me the test now and it had two bars which means…

The doctor said a lot of information that just kind of flew over my head, luckily Virgo was there and had all the information stored in that mind of hers already. We left the clinic and headed home in a happy silence, we all were excited but I was also scared now. "Guys, what time is it?" I asked as I looked up and saw it was later than I had thought, as the sky was getting darker.

"Wow, it's six o'clock already. Luckily I contacted Esoj and let him know where we were, so no one is wondering. He should still be training with Juvia as he won't stop until dinner time. He won't move unless he smells food, the man eats like a horde of pigs, never stopping and is voracious when he eats." Nena said and I nodded, my head clearing up and the information finally making it's way into my mind.

I smiled brightly and I kept the smile on until we got home and we're surprised to see Natsu and Mern back already. "What happened? I thought you wouldn't be back until later, did something go wrong?" I asked as Natsu and I saw each other and smiled brightly at the other.

"No, just a dead end. Well I mean he did destroy the entire place, and all the plants are dead, but we ran into no resistance, which is good. But he did kill and destroy an entire city… so yeah there is that fact." He said and I stared at him wide eyed.

"He destroyed an entire city? Wow, he must have been mad about something. Probably us. So Hargeon is gone now?" I asked and did feel sad that the place where we first met is gone now.

"Yeah… He is gonna pay now for destroying such an important place to us. He will pay dearly." Natsu said with anger in his voice and I hugged him as he remembered just how important Hargeon was to our history. Our story. Our life. He pulled back and kissed my forehead and smiled at me, "So what did you do today? Sorry I left so quickly, but Mern wanted to leave early."

"It's fine, I actually needed to talk to you about something. Can we talk in private please?" I asked and he looked at me confused, but nodded none the less and I led him away. We reached our room and I led us inside and sat him down, sighing I looked at him and said, "Natsu, you know how I have been getting sick in the morning lately, right?"

"Yes, I was actually getting worried, did you get sick again this morning?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yes, and so Virgo, Nena, and I went to the clinic to see why. We went and I was seen rather quickly and then I was given some rather great news. Natsu I have something amazing to tell you!" I said and put my hand on my stomach.

"No way… Are you serious?!" He said standing up and smiling his usual smile at me, as my heart fluttered at his happiness. I nodded and he jumped in glee and brought me into a hug that showed me how happy he was and how much he loved me.

"So I guess you figured it out huh? Well now, perceptive are we?" I said and he laughed and just kissed me instead. We stayed like that and kept the kiss going for what seemed like forever as we shared with each other just how much we loved each other. We only broke apart to breathe, and occasionally move closer to the bed. Eventually we stopped and just tapped our foreheads together and stood there for a good minute, then two and then an hour had somehow passed. The only reason we even noticed that was because Natsu smelled the food and his stomach grumbled. "Hungry are we?" I asked as I laughed at his stomach, it was like it had it's own personality and mind.

"Yes, now let's go eat, I'm hungry." He said and took my hand and led me to the dining room, and he led me slowly as our arms were intertwined and we looked like a true married couple. I smiled at the thought and he looked at me smiling, "So, we should probably tell them about it and discuss our options now. A lot is going to change now you know." He said and I sighed as he was right.

"Together, we'll tell them together. Like we always do things, we'll do it together. Ok?" I said and he smiled back at me, his smile getting even bigger.

"Yeah, let's do it! YOOSSHH! I'm all fired up! Let's go! Come on! Hop on!" He said as he turned his back to me and wanted me to hop on his back so he could give me a piggy back ride. I laughed at his actions and nodded, jumping on his back and he turned towards the dining room and sped off towards it at his max speed.

We were both laughing the entire way and reached the room soon there after, entering as the door was already open. Every one was already gathered and they looked at us like we were crazy, which we are. "Hey everyone how are we? Have fun with me gone all day?" Natsu asked and they all just smiled at him and sighed.

"Yeah, not as annoying or as much as a fire hazard. We actually felt safe here for once." Esoj said and we all laughed, except for Natsu who was pouting now.

"Hey I'm not that big of a fire hazard…" He started but was cut off.

"Yes you are. The fire department had to move it's house to be right next door to us and has a new code just for you. THEY ADDED A WHOLE NEW CODE FOR YOU!" Kurayami yelled and smacked Natsu on the head, "Honestly, control your magic, your probably a top five mage in terms of strength throughout history and yet you can't keep your magic in check. Dear gods help us if you ever went clinically insane, no one would survive your rampages." He finished and shook his head at Natsu in disappointment.

"Oh, come on. You know it's fun! What's life without some craziness?" He said rubbing his head.

"Boring." Kurayami said and everyone laughed at the banter.

"Ok, ok, settle down now. Who's hungry? I made enough takoyaki to feed all of Crocus so I hope you like it!" Tsume said with Virgo nodding behind her and Yuko, Kurayami's wife, nodded her head.

"They are very good, trust us. We made them with love and the best seafood in town. They taste amazing!" Yuko said and we all nodded and sat down around the table as Rai and Esoj placed the food on the already set table.

"ITADAKIMASU!" We all yelled and dug in.

We ate in silence for a while before Natsu asked Esoj, "So how's Juvia's training going?"

"It's going well, she is much stronger than I thought. She will be ready in a month and a half, so Nena says." He said and everyone cheered at the progress Juvia had made, genuinely excited to make her a full member of our family. She smiled and nodded her head in thanks at the kind words and we kept eating.

We ate until everything was gone and dessert was being brought out by Virgo and Tsume. I stood as they re-entered and so did Natsu, who said, "Everyone we have a huge announcement!"

Everyone looked at us, waiting to hear our news, "Well everyone… guess what?" I said and everyone thought for a moment.

"YOU'RE PREGENANT!" They all said happily and I looked at them dumbfounded at how they already knew this.

Nena smiled and said, "Sorry to ruin your surprise, but they were all dying to know."

I smiled and said, "It's ok, so yeah, I'm pregnant!" Everyone cheered and stood, hugging me and Natsu, offering us congratulations and advice, even Juvia who seemed very happy at the news. 'You know what? I like this family better than my other ones, yeah these guys are simply the best. Maybe I could make our home with these people, maybe we could make this purpose we all share into something permanent.' I came to that realization and it made me happy, knowing that I could actually have the dream family I always wanted.

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**A/N: Whew, surprise! All that sex and sperm finally did it! She is officially pregnant. Well I hope you like the twist and the happiness that ensued! Well that's all so remember, READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Twin Sabers No More

**A/N: Hello there everyone! You know what? We're already at the forty chapter mark! Well forty one, but you know. I'm not quite sure how much longer this story will last as I still cannot see the finish line, so yeah. This story will at least see fifteen chapters more, at least. I'm just flowing with ideas but I don't it to drag on forever, so yeah that is where I am at. Shout outs today go to the regular reviewers in brucie86 and sashaXmafuyuFOREVER, you guys are simple amazing! Enjoy chapter forty one!**

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Next Day (Natsu POV)

I walk through the mansion and soon arrive to the meeting room, where Kurayami, Esoj, Nena, and Gōsuto were waiting. Lucy was walking with me and we walk to our seats around the table, just like we used to when we first formed Ronin. "Ok, we're here, so let's get this meeting started. First order of business is?" I asked and Gōsuto stood up.

"The rankings for all the new members. We have four new members raising our number to nine, which while an odd number is fine as one of them can just have no partner. My suggestion for the order would be: Rai, Mern, Karr, and then Juvia." Gōsuto said and looked at everyone.

"Bullshit ranking, you just think Rai is strong so you ranked him higher. That was completely biased, here's how it should go: Mern, Rai, Karr, then Juvia. For now, give me some more time and she should be around six or seven, she has that much potential. May even crack the top five if she works hard enough." Esoj said standing up as well to look Gōsuto in the eye.

"I don't know, I would have to agree with neither of you. Mern and Rai are about equal in strength. If they fought ten times, each would win five times. I would suggest both Mern and Rai get six, let one be six a, and the other six b. And I'm not convinced of Karr, I would already put Juvia ahead of him." Nena said as she looked at everyone from her seat.

"I agree with her as well, I know Karr and he is getting long in the tooth, Juvia is twenty eight. Barely less than half his age and in her true prime. I second Nena's ranking." Kurayami said.

"I third her ranking. But I do agree with Esoj's belief of Juvia's potential, she could crack the top five soon enough. Just give her time and keep training her." Lucy said.

"Ok, then we accept Nena's ranking, but back to something Gōsuto said about not everyone having a partner and having nine mages, that is actually not totally true. Luce is pregnant now, and I will not have her risking the life of my child on missions. So until the baby is born, Luce is off of active duty. She will act as co-mission coordinator along with Kurayami." I said and everyone nodded in understanding except for Lucy.

"Natsu, come on don't do this! I wanna still be able to do stuff too! Come on please!" She begged me, giving me her usual pout, but I wasn't budging.

"Not a chance, Luce think of the baby. I don't want you to, let's say hypothetically speaking, you get struck by lightning and it kills the baby on accident. It's not just your life anymore, it's the life of our baby too." I retorted and she sighed nodding, she knew this battle was one she couldn't win. "Good, now anything else we need to discuss?"

"Yes, master Natsu. There is a guest here who has just arrived saying he knows you and that he needs to speak to you. He looks familiar and is with a cat that is dressed in a frog suit… now why is that so familiar sounding?" Virgo said as she barged in on our closed door meeting.

"VIRGO! What did I say? Boundaries! A closed door meeting is meant to be a closed door, private, only invited members only!" Lucy yelled and was shaking her head. "Wait, a guy with a cat with a frog suit?"

"No it's ok, I know who it is. Gōsuto get everyone else ready, defensive positions. Esoj and Nena, your with me, Luce you stay here and coordinate with Kurayami. Understood? Good now go." I said very seriously and everyone knew something was wrong, so they ran off and did as they were ordered. I walked to the front entrance and did so briskly as I wanted to know exactly he was here and how he found us.

We arrived at the door and I waited until I could hear Esoj and Nena were right next to the door, ready to strike if needed. I nodded to both of them and opened the door, and saw only Rogue Cheney and his exceed Frosch standing there. Both looked battered and tires, like they had travelled a great distance to arrive here. "Rogue, why are you here?" I asked and looked him over to see he had a lot of injuries and looked as if he was ready to drop then and there, "How did you find us? And where is your butt buddy Sting?"

"Natsu-san. I have travelled all the way from Oak Town to come here and ask for your help…" He said and as he finished he fell over and was unconscious.

"Rogue! Frosch thinks he needs help. Frosch thinks so too!" Frosch yelled out and I looked around.

"What no Sabertooth army here with you? No Sting, Rufus, Obra, or Yukino?" I asked and was surprised to see him shake his head. "Ok, Gōsuto! Stand down! Luce and Juvia! Take Rogue to the clinic, everyone else check out the area and see if they are any guild mages around. You see any, you kill them no questions asked. Especially any blond ones, that guy is annoying as fuck. Alright, disperse! Go, and find something out, Luce! Wait a moment and call your spirits to find out where Yukino is." She nodded and pulled out her keys and started concentrating, using the keys as a medium to talk to them.

She stopped and shrugged, "Not here, back in Oak town. Well actually in transit to Magnolia for the funerals… Odd, he might actually be here of his own volition. Wait, check for a guild mark." So I did and I didn't find one, which caused me to furrow my brow and Lucy to whisper, "What's going on? Did he turn like he did in the future?"

"No, he wouldn't have Frosch if he did. I'm guessing something happened between him and Sabertooth. Let's get him to the clinic and we'll go from there." I said and Lucy nodded.

"Wait, Juvia thinks he is simply dehydrated. Allow Juvia to give him some water and see how he feels." Juvia said and we nodded, she gave him some of her magical water and waited.

He woke up about ten minutes later and looked around before saying, "Water." We all laughed and Juvia gave him more water, which he quickly drank and drank a lot of it. He finished drinking and looked at us gathered there and said, "Natsu-san, it's as I said, I need your help. Sting and I…had a falling out. I left the guild and wandered for a while until I heard that Ronin was lead by you, then I let the shadows of my magic lead me here."

"What happened? Seems a bit fishy how you just suddenly left, and somehow found us using your magic. I don't like that answer. Now tell me why I should change my belief of your answer." I said and crossed my arms and got close to his face so I could intimidate him.

He stood up and sighed, saying, "It is very true. You see, he and Yukino have become a thing, finally. But I wasn't fully aware so I tried asking her out in front of him, big mistake. He was furious and we had a fight, then he said that he knew I was after Yukino, which I wasn't I just wanted to hang out more than anything. But we fought and we were broken up and I thought that something was off, so I stayed away for a few days. When I came back I apologized and he accepted it and I thought that was the end of it but it wasn't. Lector was mad too and insulted Frosch very harshly and made him sad, said I was a bad guy and that the only reason he took care of me was because I felt bad. Which is not true, I took him in because I love him like a little brother. So Frosch told me and I told Sting to make Lector apologize but he said no, said that he didn't think he did anything wrong. That was when I had had it, and I challenged him to a duel for our honor, and I lost. Barely, but I lost. So I as I had no honor, I left and quit the guild and wandered all around, trying to find a place to stay, but I left three months ago. Sting kept it quiet and just said I was off on an S-class mission, and I thought I was never going to find a new place to call home. But then you made yourselves known. I was in Hargeon and heard all about how you guys were able to defeat Fairy Tail and I wanted to join you guys. As for how I found you, I eat shadows and am to travel in them, and I knew that you had a shadow mage. So using my shadows, I traced the source of the shadow magic and found myself here. Believe me or not, this is the truth." He finished his story as the others returned and reported in, they had not found any mages from Sabertooth.

"Well it looks like your story is legit. I know just how strong you were, but I don't know about it now, so here is a test for you. I want you to release all of your magical power and see just how strong you really are." I said and he nodded. He stood upright and focused for a moment before releasing all of his magical power and I was a bit taken aback. He was strong alright, but he had lost to Sting. 'Just how strong is Sting then? Eh, it won't matter, as long as I fight Laxus we should be fine here. But let's see just how much he really wants to leave Sabertooth.' "Luce, bring out the prisoner we have been keeping here."

She nodded and ran off, everyone but Rogue knowing who it was, 'This should be good! He definitely won't see this coming.' Lucy returned a minute later with a female who had a bag on her head and was struggling to get free. Lucy pulled the bag off of her head and threw her down in front of Rogue who just looked blankly at her, totally surprised. "Minerva, so this is where you have been." He said and just kept looking at her, not moving at all.

"Yes, as she is a demon now, I found her committing crimes in Inpei that were all for Zeref. I captured her and kept her locked away from society so she could do no more wrong, because she really was doing some horrible things. Now if you want to join us, then you will have to pass one last test, you are strong enough but now I must know how committed you will be to our cause. We aim to kill Zeref and will not stop until he is dead. Now you must strike a blow to his cause. You must kill her and take her head to Hargeon, because that is where he last was. We must show him that we mean business and he respects Minerva as a leader for his demons…" I started ad just as I was about to finish, he powered up a but and cut her head clean off of her shoulders. 'He didn't hesitate! Woof! He has lost it, but even if he becomes more and more like his future self, I should be able to reign him in. Yeah, he is worthy.' "Ok, so you pass, congratulations! You are officially a Ronin! Now you must recite the motto form memory, ready?"

He nodded and Lucy told him the motto, soon he was ready and began, "THOUGH WE MAY HAVE NO TRUE HOME WE ARE NEVER ALONE! THOUGH NO ONE MAY WANT US WILL DO WHAT IS NEEDED! THOUGH NO ONE MAY APPRECIATE WHAT WE DO WE WILL ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING! WE ARE THE FORSAKEN, THE FORGOTTEN, THE LOST, WE ARE THE RONIN! DEATH TO OUR ENEMIES AND TO THE EVER LASTING GLORY THAT AWAITS US IN THE FUTURE. LIVE! FIGHT! LIVE AND FIGHT FOREVER!"

"Well said, now welcome!" I said and he nodded, shaking my hand.

"There is something you should know. Sting is on his way to Magnolia, as you probably know, and is on his way not just for the funerals, but to discuss you. The Ronin more specifically and how the council has ordered we be taken care of. My sources tell me that they plan to get a giant guild coalition together and use them to stamp us out. They are worried by your power. They think you could actually defeat Zeref and they do not want anyone other than a guild mage or one of them to do it. Would be a sign of weakness or something." Rogue said and we all laughed at this, seeing as we had already planned for this and were ready to deal with it.

"Hey Karr, you still got any contacts in the council ranks?" I asked and looked at Karr.

"Yes, I should have plenty for what your thinking. Hahahaha! This should be fun!" He said and everyone was still laughing.

"What? You already know or something? Or is there a plan for this?" Rogue asked confused by our actions.

I scoffed and said, "Oh yeah we do. Karr call up your contacts and have them find Luce and me a way into the next council meeting. We have a group to announce. By this time next week, everyone will know who the Ronin are."

(POV Change to Laxus)

I sit in my office on my new chair and do so staring at Sting Eucliffe in disbelief, "You did what! You let Rogue quit your fucking guild! You idiot! Do you not remember what happened seven years ago? HE WENT FUCKING EVIL IN THE FUTURE! How could you just let him leave? And over something so stupid as who dates who and who asks out who, no offense Yukino." I was angry now, as he let someone who almost killed everyone not even seven years ago, albeit it was the future him.

"Hey, it's not my fault. He took offense to Lector making fun of Frosch even though he was kidding. It's not my fault he is so protective of Frosch, it's his own damn fault. Now are you going to let me finish my report from the council, or not? Either way I'm staying here in Magnolia for the funerals so I could always come back." Sting answered and leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable.

"No, just tell me now. I want to know what's so damn important that they actually told you to do something. So let's hear it." I said and leaned back myself as Sting sat up.

"You have heard of Ronin, obviously. Well the council has too now. The Ronin have been deemed a menace and the council has ordered are to be taken care of. They told me that they plan to get a giant guild coalition together and use them to stamp them out. They are worried by their power. They think Natsu could actually defeat Zeref and they do not want anyone other than a guild mage or one of them to do it. Would be a sign of weakness or something. So, they have asked that the big three gather and prepare to defeat them. Lamia Scale, Fairy Tail, and Sabertooth, that's who they asked for." He said and looked at me, waiting for my answer.

I sighed and stood up and looked at the wall behind me, "We had already planned to defeat them ourselves, but if you wish to join us we won't stop you. What about Lamia Scale? You talk to them yet?" I finished my question and looked at him.

"Yes, and they are in as well. How long will your plan take exactly, because according to how things went here, it didn't go too well." He asked and stood as well, extending his hand so he could shake mine.

I took his hand and shook it firmly, looking in his eyes matching his intensity, "One year from the day they attacked. That is when our rematch will be."

'It's also the day when I avenge you Jiji.'

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**A/N: Whew, it's done! That was fun! I hope you guys enjoyed like I did. Well have a good day and remember, READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Hello World

**A/N: Hello there people! Not much to say other than thanks to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for the review, and to Payn3 for the follow and favorite of the story! Enjoy this action packed chapter!**

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A Week Later (Natsu POV)

I stretch on Igneel's back as he flies us to Era, the home of the council. "How much longer? This is so boring. Honestly I don't even remember why I didn't bring Luce."

"Because she's pregnant?" Igneel responded and shook his head in disbelief. "You forgot that didn't you?

"No, but this job won't even require us to lift a finger, in reality. Just to talk for a bit and announce our plans. Oh, hey look! There it is, council headquarters. Man talk about compensating for something, that thing is absolutely huge!" I said and Igneel began descent.

"Ok Natsu, I'm leaving for now, when your ready to go light the signal and I'll be there. No need to waste our time. Be safe, my son." Igneel said as I hopped off his back and he flew away, leaving me alone behind enemy lines, again. 'Well Here goes nothing, I hope Luce is having fun back at home. Today is trial day for Rogue and Juvia, time to see Juvia's progress and Rogue true ranking.'

(POV Change to Lucy)

'So first up is Juvia versus Mern. This should be good. Then Rogue versus Rai. Oh my I should have some good entertainment today.' I muse to myself as I watch Kurayami walk into the center of the training ring.

"Ok, first up is Juvia and Mern. Please step forward you two." Kurayami said and the two combatants did, glaring at one another. Juvia was looking up slightly as Mern was as tall as Rai, but did not look in the least bit intimidated. "Ok, so here are the ground rules, don't kill each other. That's it. Everything else goes and, oh yes, please don't maim each other. Ready?" They both nodded and got into their fighting stances, their stare down still going on. "GO!"

He disappeared as both immediately cast their spells, "Thorns!" "Water Slicer!". Mern launched his thorns, which almost trapped Juvia but she cut them easily with her water slicer attack. Then Mern moved in and yelled, "Thorn Thrust!" and thorns shot out straight at Juvia. However she didn't move and instead let them pass through her as she was more or less made of water, 'Oooh, nicely done Juvia. I almost forgot that most attacks won't hit you if you focus your magic like that.' Then Juvia became a puddle of water and moved underneath him, then she rose up and onto him, reforming back into her body and trapping him. Then a water clone came from where she was standing and it charged at Mern, who was stuck since due to Juvia having him in a headlock. He tried to wriggle lose by his own strength and couldn't so the he yelled, "Thorn Body!" and thorns shot out of his whole body, barely missing Juvia who had to jump off since she had no time to change her body composition. But the clone was not so lucky and ran right into the thorns and was impaled by them, disappearing back into a puddle of water. 'Strange the water is still there, how is that possible, shouldn't it have gone back to Juvia?'

"Water Cane!" she yelled, then I understood why the water hadn't gone back as it formed a whip and struck out at Mern, who dodged, but barely and had to roll out of the way. "Water Nebula!" she yelled and out came two spinning columns of water and they crashed into Mern who stood there and took it, head on. He stood for a moment before it ended and he yelled "Thorny Rose!" as a rose shot out of his hand and expanded and flew towards Juvia. She saw it and dodged to the right of it but didn't know that it was about to explode, so when it did she was thrown forward and landed with a thud. She groaned and was slow to get up, but she did and shook off the pain and stood up. "Double Wave!" She yelled and two waves shot out and crashed against Mern, who staggered back a bit and then was hit by Juvia as she yelled, "Water Rush!" Mern was sent flying back a bit and doubled over in pain before he groaned as he stood up.

"Thorn Bullet!" he yelled and thorny bullets shot at Juvia who simply dodged them by turning her body into water. But it was a distraction as he was suddenly upon her and punched her in the face and I realized that she could only make her body water in parts, or that only part of her body could be water and let something pass through at any given time. 'This is very informative. This is also going to take the full ten minutes, someone better hurry up and finish this.' As if he was a psychic, which Mern was partially as he was telepathic, Mern kept up the pressure and yelled, "Thorn Curse!" and Juvia was trapped in thorns that encased her upper body and she yelled out in pain and quickly turned herself into water and put some distance between them and reformed. But what no one saw coming was that Mern yelled out, "Thorn Time Bomb!" and where Juvia was there a massive explosion and Juvia was sent flying up in the air. That's when I noticed where she was standing, 'Oh, so when the fight started and he got into his stance he placed some thorn magic down and set that up, very clever.' Then the fight was all over, Mern jumped and met her mid air and she didn't see him coming. He put some of his heavier thorns on his hands and swung down, sending her flying towards the ground where she crashed with a thud and created a crater.

Kurayami ran out and checked on her and waved his hands in an X, signaling the end of the fight. "WINNER: MERN!" he motioned to Esoj and Nena and they created a stretcher for Juvia, but she refused it and stood up on her own power.

She walked over to Mern and extended her hand which Mern took and they exchanged a job well done. They both walked to where everyone was sitting and I said, "Well that was fun. Took nine minutes and it was kinda close, so well done Juvia." She nodded her thanks to me and I smiled back and had her sit at my right, as I wondered, 'How's Natsu doing?'

(POV Change to Natsu)

I walk with Karr's contact as he leads me to the council chamber, "Wow, you must really hate the council, I mean I'm gonna be interrupting a meeting and embarrassing their security. You will probably lose your job you know?"

"Not if I make it look like you overpowered security, WHICH you did. Need I remind you that all the security people are at the front entrance, unconscious and bloodied?" He said and is nodded, just making sure he knew the risks.

"Is this it?" I asked as we reached a big door that looked very regal and like it cost a lot of money to make.

"Yes, now knock me out and throw me inside. It will make it look like I was beaten after you used me to find this place." He said as I grabbed him, punched him a few times, and threw him inside the room, causing the room's inhabitants to look up and gasp a bit.

"Well hello there council members! How are we today?" I asked mockingly and walked in.

"Natsu Dragneel. Why am I not surprised to see that it is you causing a ruckus?" Said the chairman, whose name I couldn't remember.

"Tch, please you are surprised, don't lie. You all think your selves untouchable now, even after Tartarus killed all of the last council in this very place, and know here I am. I could kill everyone of you, not break a sweat, and go home and have sex with my wife, I wouldn't feel a thing. But I am not here to do that. Today I came to tell you what I plan to do with myself. I will kill Zeref. Get in my way and I will kill you as well, so stay out of my way. And leave Ronin alone as well, we have challenged airy Tail to a rematch and it will happen in one year. So leave us alone and wait for the rematch. If your guild coalition comes we will fight them as well, and the rules apply to them as well as us. We lose we surrender, we win we are absolved off all crimes and allowed to form our own guild. These are my terms. You would be wise to accept them." I finished my message and looked at them, waiting for an answer.

The chairman apparently didn't hear my warning nor knew how strong I really was as he charged at me, and sent a spell my way. I deflected the spell with my bare hand causing everyone in the room to have their jaws drop, yawning and grabbed him by the throat. "I warned you to accept the terms. Now I will show you why." I said as I put more pressure to my grip and I felt some of his tendons pop, tearing and snapping. The other council members looked on in horror as I squeezed, and popped his neck, breaking it but not killing him. "Now, unless you wanna be a mute forever like the chairman here, then you will accept the terms. So how do you vote?"

"IN FAVOR!" They all yelled, and I laughed at their fear.

"Good children, alright I'm done here. Igneel sorry about this." I said as I sent up the signal that I had prepared, but was not what Igneel thought it would be. I disappeared as my body flickered away.

(POV Change to 3rd Person)

The council members watched in continued horror as they saw Natsu disappear, as if he were not actually there. "He was a psychic projection the whole time? Just how strong is he? The max a projection could be in terms of relative strength to the original is fifty percent. And that strength was terrifying." Said one of the council members and the others nodded and one yelled for a medic, and attended to the chairman.

In the skies above, the great dragon Igneel was now incensed at his adoptive son, "Damn it! TELL ME THIS KINDA STUFF IS YOUR PLAN BEFOREHAND!" He turned around and flew back towards the new home his son had made and left the signal, which was a message behind, which said, '_I am a psychic projection, no need to take me home. Sorry Igneel.'_

(POV Change back to Lucy)

"Oi, sorry about the long bathroom break. Dinner last night wasn't spicy enough for me so I couldn't keep it down too well." Natsu said as he sat down next to me and I looked at him, "So what did I miss?"

"Mern won, as we expected. But Juvia put up one hell of a fight. She was excellent." I said and he nodded, "You did tell Igneel that he was flying a psychic projection to Era right?"

"…Shit. I knew I forgot something." Natsu said as I face-palmed and felt bad for him.

"You know he's gonna be mad when he gets back right?" I said as Juvia who had been nodding to both of us in thanks for the praise started to laugh at my misfortune.

"Sorry, but Juvia finds it funny how little you have changed Natsu-san. You are still that dense fool that always fought Gray." She said in between laughs.

"I'm not that dense…" He said and looked at us.

We all laughed as we knew it was not true, he pouted and we were about to apologize but were interrupted by Kurayami yelling out, "Ok, so here are the ground rules, don't kill each other. That's it. Everything else goes and, oh yes, please don't maim each other. Ready?" Rogue and Rai nodded and stared each other down, slowly nodding and getting into position. "GO!" and the two charged at each other, Rai yelling, "Light Speed!" he was a blur but so was Rogue as he had activated shadow drive and almost matched his speed. They collided and pushed each other back, and they began an exchange of blows, each one using their magic to help create more force behind their punches. They pulled back for some more room and looked at each other, catching their breathes for a moment. Rai was the first to strike as he yelled "Light Pulse!" and seven balls of light went flying at Rogue. Rogue countered, yelling "Shadow Dragon's Roar!" His roar hit the balls of light and they both exploded, only having reached the mid way point between the two. They both charged again and exchange some more blows but Rogue yelled, "Shadow Dragon's Slash!" and his punches became too fast to follow and sent Rai flying backwards. He followed it up with another "Shadow Dragon's Roar!" and sent Rai into a tree, which he destroyed and kept flying. He stopped himself however by using his magic and yelling, "Light Wings!" Wings sprouted from his back and helped him stop his momentum.

He turned and charged at Rogue yelling "Light Meteor!" He picked up speed and crashed into Rogue, the place where they were becoming a massive crater. They both were out of it quickly however and were back to trading punches. They both landed a punch on each other's jaws and sent the other flying back. Then Rogue did something really unexpected, he stood up after landing and focused his magic and activated a mode we did not expect to see. He was in his Shadow Light Dragon mode. 'Did Sting give him his light? What an idiot! I wonder if it was a fair exchange like what Laxus did, or did Rogue just kind of steal it?' Natsu was just as shocked as I was and looked at Rogue who then charged at Rai. Rai was no match for him, as he was quickly overwhelmed as not only had Rogue gone into his two element form, but used his dragon force. He quickly punched Rai in the face, and kept punching him all over. This kept going on for a good minute before finally Kurayami came out as Rogue lost his super dragon mode.

"Tch, idiot. He just wasted all that magic, and not even on the real Rai. Look." Natsu said and I saw the Rai he was beating up disappear in a flash of light and the real Rai charged from the crater. 'Smart. He used a clone to make him think that was the real Rai and had him use up a lot of magic to do that. Well done.' Rai yelled, "Light Speed!" and was on him in less than a second and sent him flying a moment later. He chased after Rogue and kept him flying, not giving him a chance to recover properly and catch his breath. 'This is gonna end soon. Only one minute left and Rogue is completely on the ropes. I still think Rogue can salvage a tie but he needs to stop Rai's assault. Now.' And that he did, he activated his shadow drive and was finally able to grab Rai and throw him off of him. He stood and charged at his top speed and began his own assault on Rai and was raining down punches on him, his fists much stronger as they were augmented by his magic. Then as it looked as if he was about to finish the fight as Rai looked tired and drained, Kurayami ran out and threw up his hands, standing between the two, signalling the end of the fight. "WINNER: NO ONE!". They both relaxed and traded a fist bump, congratulating each other on an amazing battle.

"Tch, Rogue could have won if he hadn't wasted so much magic on his assault, he should have smelled it was a clone. What a waste." Natsu said disgusted, shaking his head.

"Now now. He put up a great fight as did Rai. They both look tired, as I bet you are as well. Hungry?" I asked him and he nodded while sighing.

"NATSU! CARE TO TELL ME WHY YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU SENT A PROJECTION?!" Igneel yelled as he arrived and was very angry.

"Uh oh. Ummm Luce I have to go, but save me some food. Bye!" Natsu said and kissed my forehead, then he ran off and was being chased by a dragon... Yes this man was going to kill Zeref. 'World meet Natsu. Natsu say hello to the world. After today they will all know who you are.'

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**A/N: Hahaha, Natsu really is an idiot. But man is he scary when he wants to be. I mean he snapped a guy's neck without killing him, just to make a point. Scary stuff there. Also partially sadistic as he always hurts people and laughs about it but yeah it's whatever...Hahaha! And I liked how Mern and Rai's magic turned out, definitely interesting characters who will eventually get a fight that is a full fight. Well that was fun! Remember to keep looking for the next chapters as I update almost daily, AND READ AND REVIEW! ADIOS!**


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43: You Were Warned

**A/N: I AM SO SORRY! I AM A BAD AUTHOR! I said that almost everyday I would update and the next day I don't update… Sorry! I wasn't feeling too well and didn't want to try and write as I would not have been able to focus properly and write this well. So here we are! Shout out to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for yet another review and yes your OC is awesome. And thank you to brucie86 for the review, and for bringing up an excellent point that I wish to tell you guys. Any pairings in the story will be based on relationships that are made more or less inevitable in the manga itself, not by us normal people. I AM NOT ON CRACK SO THERE WILL BE NO CRACK PAIRINGS! If a character has no obvious person to pair with, they will get an OC, sorry to those of you who like crack pairings but I so not enjoy them, as they make no sense to my empirical mind. I only believe in what I see more or less and I find crack pairings unbelievable, so yeah that's that. Sorry for jumping on my soapbox but I needed that to be said to everyone. SO, Enjoy Chapter Forty Three!**

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Next Day (Natsu POV)

I woke up and stretched, Lucy next to me doing the same as we both heard the blaring noise of the alarm clock. "Why did we set an alarm? It's way too early." I said and sat up, rubbing my eyes and trying to rub the sleepiness out of me.

"The newspaper, we want to see what the reaction was to your little escapade into Era. Hopefully they listened or they will have hell to pay, right?" Lucy asked and looked at me, wondering if I had a back up plan.

"Yes, they were warned. They should have listened though, I made the chairman a mute." I said and Lucy looked surprised, "What, don't approve?"

"No, the opposite. That was some restraint you showed. Usually he would be dead for being insolent, but hey you can't just kill all your problems right?" She said and I had to agree, but the cases where that is that is case are few and rare.

"Let's get going so we can sleep some more, ok?" I asked and extended my hand for her to take, which she did and we walked out of the room and made our way outside and into the center of town.

We walked in a comfortable silence and with our arms entwined together, linking us together so we could walk at the same pace. We arrived at the town square and saw the young paper boy getting set up to sell his papers, so before he start yelling his usual thing, we walked up to him and bought a newspaper. "Thanks to ya, sir, ma'am." The boy said and we smiled at him, before walking away.

"Well, what does it say?" Lucy asked and we stopped and opened it.

_Natsu Dragneel, Menace to Society! He has done it again, the former guild mage of the famous guild Fairy Tail, and now leader of the rogue dark mage group 'Ronin' has done it again. He snuck into the council meeting at Era and attacked the chairman of the council, greatly injuring him. Dragneel claims to believe himself capable of killing the infamous Black Mage, Zeref, and has told the council to allow him to handle it. The council isn't buying it, one council member says, "If he thinks he can kill Zeref with his power, then he really is psychotic. He isn't strong enough to do it, the only reason he got the chairman was because he surprised him. Not because he was stronger." Dragneel whereabouts are unknown but the council is unconcerned, saying he is simply a mad man who has gone rogue and killed more guild members than he has bad guys. He is a bad guy, and should be treated as such, if you have any information on his whereabouts please contact…_

I never finished reading as I just burned it up, as my whole body was on fire, my rage being quite obvious to anyone with a working pair of eyes. "Those idiots…" Lucy said and I had to agree.

"Let's go, we have plans to explain and execute. They were warned toleave me be but yet they mock me instead. I should never have believed they would listen. It's time to show them what happens when they don't listen." I said and we walked back in silence, me still on fire and Lucy not even wanting to try and calm me down.

We arrived at the mansion and Kurayami was waiting for us, and after seeing me he ran back inside and went to wake everyone up so we could have an emergency meeting. I walk inside and walk to the meeting room, not even waiting to call the emergency meeting. I opened the door to meeting room and finally put out my body so I can sit down and not destroy the nice seats. But my eyes say everything, they look like they are on fire, burning with my rage.

Everyone else who wasn't Lucy quickly piled into the room and sat down quickly, a bit uncomfortably as they saw me and worried I would lash out at anyone who annoyed me. I was breathing heavily, almost shaking from the anger, I had truly thought that the council would have heeded my warning and accepted my terms. But, they didn't.

"We are going to Plan X. The target is mine, and mine alone. Everyone else is to wait for me. I will be back in a couple of days. Lucy, you run the mission from here by using Mern's telepathy. I'm leaving now so hurry up and get set up. NOW!" I yelled the last part and woke everyone up from their shock. They all got moving and Mern walked up and set up the telepathy link, connecting Lucy and I together mentally. "Luce, are you ready? Igneel, can you hear me?" I asked mentally and got a nod from Lucy.

"Yes, I am." Igneel replied and I walked out of the room, nodding. I walked out and saw Igneel waiting and looked at him, and he knew where I was going already. I got on his back and he took off, heading to our target and where the world will learn the hard way just how strong I am.

A Few Hours Later

We arrive at our destination and I jump off, while we were still high in the air and lit myself on fire. I turn myself into a torpedo and charged towards the ground and landed with a great crash. The ground where I landed was nothing but a crater so large it caused buildings around it to fall down and into the hole. I jumped out of the hole and walked towards the building that I was looking for, totally unscathed and completely on fire, melting the road I walked on into a molten mess. I looked up and saw the people I came here to crush ran at me and I grabbed them by the throats, smashing their heads together so hard they were bleeding due to their head being gashed open and their throats were burned so badly, it was black already. I continue going as they weren't the only ones I was looking for, and I arrived at the building I was looking for. I blew the door open and walked in, and quickly got to work. "Fire Dragon's Machine Gun!" I yelled and shot fire that started hitting mages and sent them flying every which way. A mage jumped in front of me but stood no chance as kneed him in the gut and the kicked him in the face so hard his neck broke slightly and he was sent flying, I could tell his neck broke since I heard the bones snap. I keep moving, mowing down mages left and right, breaking so many of their bones and tearing so of their many tendons and muscles, I wouldn't be surprised if the guild is forced to shut down.

Then four of their strongest mages come fourth and attack me all at once, but it was to no avail. I simply jumped up and twisted my body, grabbing one of their heads I threw him in the path of another mage and he was hit by friendly fire, being taken down by the others attack. Meanwhile I had used my foot to launch some more magic at another one and sent him flying into the wall and I could hear some of his vertebrae crack and break. Then I land in front of another one and grab him by the collar of his shirt and lift him up, even though he is twice my weight. I sense the last one trying to sneak up on me and throw the fat one into him and yell, "Fire Dragon's Roar!" and send those two into next week.

I turn to find more mages, the last ones who are all strong S-class mages, led by one who is famous in all of Fiore. There were five in all, each very strong including their ace, but I didn't even stop walking. I grabbed one by the collar of his shirt, moving so fast he doesn't even see me and I throw him up and jump after him, using my flames to augment my strength I punch him square in the jaw, breaking his jaw and sending him crashing into the floor. Then I land next to another one who grabs me and third one tries to hit me, at least he tried to but I put my feet firmly on the ground and used all my strength to throw the guy grabbing me over my shoulders and into the attacker. Then as they both collide and unleash a, "Fire Dragon's Roar!" and knock them both out. Then I turn and run up to another mage and punch him in the gut three times in a row, then follow that up with a stomp to his knee shattering the kneecap, and finish him by grabbing his head and kneeing it, throwing his head into it to add even more force which causes his neck to break slightly. I then turn and charge at the guild ace and slide underneath him and pop up behind him but see he hasn't moved at all. I look at him poke him and he falls right over, knocked unconscious by the fear I had instilled in him.

"Tch, Wild my ass. Quatro Puppy really earned their nickname today. Not even the older mages were any good. What a waste of magic. Oh well. Goldmine! Come out here!" I yell and see the old Fairy Tail mage come out and look at the massacre. I hadn't even been scratched and yet his entire guild was in shambles, he looked mad and sad at the same time. "There you are I have a message for you, leave the coalition and tell the council that they were warned before, and this is the result for insolence. Night, night." I said as I quickly got up close and personal and unleashed my magic energy, suffocating him before he finally went unconscious.

I walked over his now unconscious body and jumped up, using my fire to help me stay afloat as I put my right hand out. Fire spewed from my hand and burned everything in sight, the scorch marks in the shape of a broken samurai helmet. It was in the symbol of the Ronin and now everyone would know our power. I blew the roof off the place and used my fire to boost me up to where Igneel was waiting. "How long was that?" I asked.

"Twenty minutes or so." He replied coolly but with a sense of pride to his voice.

"Tch, that took longer than I had anticipated, sorry dad. Played around too much." I said as he deadpanned at my apology.

"You do realize that you just took out an entire guild of over one hundred mages along with five S-class mages and their guild ace, AND their master without so much as getting scratched, right?" Igneel asked and I looked at his eyes.

"Yeah, but they were weak, even Gōsuto could do this, Bacchus Groh does not deserve the title of guild ace anywhere, Erza could beat him. And she couldn't even make Gōsuto sweat with Jellal helping her. And Goldmine is old now, he wasn't even close to his former strength, this was absolutely pathetic." I said and crossed my arms, not happy with how long I took. I sighed and said, "Come on let's go home. We have sleep to catch up on and you go too fast to sleep." And with that, not another word was said and we were gone, leaving the remains of a once proud guild there to serve as a reminder of what happens to those who underestimate the Ronin.

The Next Day- Day of Funerals (Laxus POV)

I look at the messenger and cannot believe my ears. "HE DID WHAT?!" I yell as I'm sure I heard him wrong, I must have.

"I spoke the truth. Natsu Dragneel successfully defeated the entirety of Quatro Cerberus by himself. And in twenty minutes no less. As such they will not be able to attend and have pulled their support from the coalition as many of their stronger mages' careers are now over due to the injuries. No one was killed but several were gravely wounded, and have burns, broken bones, dislocated bones, and torn muscles and ligaments and tendons. They were a complete mess there." The messenger said and I looked at the frog like creature, the messenger boys of the council and shook my head.

"My gods, what did the council say about all this?" I asked and the messenger looked down.

"They are calling it a terrorist act and saying that he is now a world wide criminal and the now second most wanted man behind Zeref. But the coalition will stay a go as planned, there will be no change in those plans." He said and refused to look into my eyes, scared about something.

"AND?" I asked sternly and he finally looked up.

"They are naming Jura Neekis the head of the coalition, not you as you requested. They say that this is getting too personal for you to handle objectively. You will report directly to Jura from now on." He said and I almost broke the chair I was holding onto, the wood of the back of it cracking under the pressure.

"Leave now. If you are a smart frog man you will leave now." I said and he left without so much as a thank you for your time, he ran like a man afraid of something. 'Fuck them. Fuck all of them. I can't believe this shit, even when we're down they refuse to acknowledge us and allow us to do thing sour way. No offense to Jura but I should be leading the team! I have the most information on Natsu and am the strongest one, the only one who could beat him! I warned them about Natsu, said not to take him lightly and what do they do? Prove me right and do just that. Now look what he did, he destroyed an entire guild by himself and kicked every mage's ass. I need to talk to Jura.' "Freed! Go and get Jura for me! I need to talk to him! Bickslow! Go and tell everyone the funerals have been postponed and to read the morning paper to understand why!" I called out to my and heard a 'yes sir!' in reply as they ran off to do as I asked. 'You really were fucking warned you council dipshits. Now look at the trouble we're in.'

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**A/N: Whew, it feels good to write again! I was forced to take the whole day off and I missed writing! Now I'm back and feeling good, and thanks to the day off I have an idea of how to get the story really going again! I can't wait! Oh, and as an FYI, the combination of ten rule will now apply for the rest of the story so get to it! Remember everyone, READ AND REVIEW! AND FOLLOW AND FAVORITE IF YOU SO CHOOSE! ADIOS!**


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44:

**A/N: Hello again! How are we today? Wait who am I talking to… Oh that's right! You the readers! Who don't talk back to me except for sashaXmafuyuFOREVER and brucie86 via their reviews… Shout out to those two as always! Now enough of my tomfoolery and on with the chapter! Enjoy!**

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Same Day (Laxus POV)

I sit and tap the desk, bored, while I wait for Jura. 'Damn, he sure is taking his sweet time. I wonder if Bickslow is back yet? Along with everyone else in the guild.'

I looked up at a sudden noise, which snapped me out of my reverie, and saw Freed standing there with Jura looming over him. "Freed, leave us. Go and help Bickslow bring everyone here." I said and Freed nodded and scurried off feeling the tension in the room.

Jura closed the door and sat down, a bit stiff from the back injury but still looking just as intimidating as he always did. "So I assume you heard the council's choice?" I nodded and kept staring at him, my face unreadable, "Ok, and I know this will be tough for you but I hope you accept the choice. I would very much like you to be my number two in the coalition's ranks as you know the most about Natsu and Lucy. And you were the last one to fight him and be awake right now, the last few have been hospitalized and none of them are leaving any time soon. Especially anyone in Quatro Cerberus. Those guys are in some seriously bad shape, all one hundred and sixty nine of them. There were twenty broken necks, fifteen broken spines, fifty five broken legs, all of them have burns, ten of which are past third degree burns, and one traumatized guild ace who has been awake but hasn't said a word yet. That guild will be lucky to be around anymore after what just happened. This leaves us with only five viable guilds with which to use in the coalition. FIVE. What news do you have about anything else, I have been out of the loop lately." He said as I nodded at the stats not quite able to wrap my head around how Natsu beat the sixth strongest guild all by himself.

"Ok, have you heard what happened to Sabertooth?" I asked and he looked at me confused and shook his head, "Ok, well apparently Sting and Rogue got into an argument which caused Rogue to leave. Yes he left Sabertooth." I said this and immediately Jura jumped up.

"HE DID WHAT?! Goddamnit! He was gonna be a key part of the plan, but now he's gone. Shit. Ok, anything else?" He asked and I shook my head, He sighed and stood up, and held his out for me to shake, which I did and looked at me, "Ok, well I will head back to my hotel and wait. I'll see you tomorrow then, correct?"

"Yes, the funerals are tomorrow now. I'll see you then." I said and he left as Freed came back to my door, Jura walked by and clambered away a bit stiffly, "Ok is everyone gathered per my instructions?"

"Yes master Laxus, everyone is accounted for and is waiting for you to begin, are you ready?" Freed said and I nodded. We both walked out of my office and went to the edge of the balcony and looked down. Immediately I saw the guild hall was full, and every pair of eyes were on me, waiting for me to say something. Even the younger ones were waiting for me to say what I wanted to say. Even Gildarts had come back form his little exile and had come with Cana who had been forced to retire from fighting and had taken up a full time job as a fortune teller of cards and a bartender. Then I began to feel I nervous, as I had not really done this before and had no clue on how to start. Then I saw Olive who held Maks in her arms and smiled at me, telling me she believed in me.

It was enough to convince me to start as I cleared my throat and began, "Everyone as you must have heard or seen, Natsu has done it again. He defeated and destroyed an entire guild this time, Quatro Cerberus, and did so all by himself. Yes he beat a guild of one hundred and sixty nine mages by himself, he did it all yesterday, in the span of twenty minutes." I paused and saw no one who looked normal. Everyone was in disbelief and shock, especially Gajeel who didn't think Natsu was that strong, 'Sure strong enough to beat me and him, but an entire guild. Not just any guild either but the sixth highest ranked one in all of Fiore? And that ranking is skewed as they never send their S-class mages to the event, except for Bacchus.' I continued saying, "Yes, it is all true. And as such we will postpone the funerals for a day to allow everyone here to make a decision. As you all most likely know, Gajeel and his family are going to be taking a leave of absence to train for one year after the funerals. And now I offer the same chance to all of you to do the same. If you truly wish, you may leave and train for a year. Bit I must know by tomorrow, so I may take you off the active guild roster and that way it doesn't look like your not doing anything. So I will allow you all to ponder that, but for now go home, rest, reflect, and decide. And if you decide to retire, now would be the time. No one will look down on you if that is what you choose, I wouldn't let them. So if one of those decisions is wracking your mind, then decide quickly but at home. The guild hall is officially closed for the day. Goodbye, and please try and get some rest." 'I know I will, what a mess today has already been.'

Everyone nodded and murmuring began, many pondering what to do for the day and what they were going to do for their futures. Gray however was not among them, and stayed behind as I walked back to my office to lock it. I notice he is still there and I walk down to where he is, and see the look on his face that he had put on since he had woken up a week ago, cold and unreadable. "Lax, er master, I need to tell you my decision. I made it this morning before we were all called here." He said and I nodded, telling Olive to wait outside for me with the usual look. He continued after I nodded for him to continue, "I have decided to do the same as Gajeel is planning on doing. I will go with Lyon and we will train together, hopefully become twice as strong along the way. We never want what happened to us to happen again. I hope you can understand Laxus." He said, bowing his head in respect for his guild master.

"Of course I do. I understand fully and wish you and Lyon success on your travel and journeys. I hope your training goes well, and I have a job for you as well. If you hear anything about where Natsu and his group are hiding, please let us know. That is all I require of you. Now go and prepare yourself, you have a speech to prepare for tomorrow. Goodbye, Gray." I said and held out my hand and we exchanged a handshake, and I thought to myself, 'And I must do the same, I just pray that I can channel my inner Jiji and do this like he would.'

(POV Change to Natsu)

I arrive back at the mansion and see a very upset Lucy waiting for me, tapping her foot impatiently, 'Crap. I forgot she heard everything I thought. So gonna be on bottom tonight.'

"Natsu, why do all the newspapers say you destroyed the guild, not just destroyed the guild but almost killed all of it's mages? What happened to showing some GODDAMN RESTRAINT?!" She yelled the last part and I gulped audibly, knowing I was so fucked.

"Ummm, I wanted to prove a point; that I should be respected, as should everyone who is a part of Ronin. What, do you not approve of my methods, Luce?" I said and stepped close to her, looking her in the eye as she had given me a look that said she did not.

"You went too far and took too long. We both know that you didn't need to paralyze anyone, which five of them now are, one by the fear you instilled in him, and four from severed spinal cords from broken vertebrae. Was that really necessary?" She said and got closer to me, not afraid of me at all, which scared me and caused me to back down.

"I know. I felt the same way about how long it took. But I was extremely mad about the way we were disrespected by those idiots masquerading as the council members. Sorry?" I asked and opened my arms, wondering if she would take the hint and take the hug.

She did, while sighing and saying, "Ok, I understand you big oaf. I hope you just try and control your anger form now on. We have a kid who we should teach the proper values that you were not taught. IGNEEL, this child's behavior is your fault! You forgot to teach him manners!"

"Hey it's not my fault! He's an idiot who never listened! Plus I only had him for a few years, not a long time like most parents!" Igneel yelled in his own defense and they began bickering back and forth and soon enough it turned into a stare down that caused me to break out laughing.

"Hahaha, and I am the one who's called immature! You two are arguing like the kids here! Hahaha" I said and they both we're about to retort something, then stopped and looked at each other. They both smiled and laughed realising that I was right for once.

"You're right, sorry Natsu. Come on let's go inside and rest, it's late already. You can be on top tonight." Lucy said and I quickly picked her up bridal style as she squealed and we ran inside laughing all the way, our family perfect together once more, like my life was as of right now.

The Next Day (Gray POV)

I woke up in my usual sweat, trying to shake the image that had haunted me ever since I had woken up in the infirmary. 'Juvia, I miss you so much... Please wait for me. I will be with you eventually so we can be with you forever. But first, I must get through today.' I thought to myself, the usual mantra I wake up to saying everyday now. I roll out of bed and fix Juvia's hat for the last time, putting it on her pillow like she were looking for it like she always did in the morning but was never able to find as it was on the floor next to my side of the bed. I sighed at the memory and fought back the urge to cry again, I had done it too often lately and instead I thought of the person I hated with my very essence, 'Lucy...' I clenched my fists and stomped around the room putting my clothes on. I had on the suit that I had especially made for today and I kissed Juvia's hat, my way of saying goodbye. I walked outside and made my way to the church, the site of my nightmare.

I walked in and took my seat, barely on time as Laxus was taking the stage to start, "Hello everyone. Thank you for coming today, we are here today to remember those we lost two weeks ago. We know that they are never forgotten, just no longer here with us physically, but they are here with us emotionally, spiritually, and mentally and they always will be for as long as we remember them. We will have one person say some words about each person and then we will be done, first is Gajeel Redfox for Warrod Sequen." Laxus said and Gajeel stood up and made his way to the podium.

He reached the podium and began his speech, "I did not know Warrod well, I only got to know him for a couple of months. But in those two months I got to know him a bit and learned that he was man who loved those he considered his nakama. He loved them and would go to hell and back for them if they needed his help. He would anything for them, and he did, he died helping his nakama fight the enemy once again, the enemy of Fairy Tail as always. He was a man who epitomized the spirit of this guild, that nakama come first as they are your true family and will stay with you through thick and thin. He was the prime example of someone who loved his nakama more than life itself, obviously or else we would not be here. Even though I did not know him very long, I know that he was a man that epitomized Fairy Tail and deserved the title of Co-Founder of Fairy Tail. Thank you for listening." He said and sat down, his speech quick but said with purpose behind every word.

The crowd applauded Gajeel and Laxus made his way to the podium and said to everyone, "Thank you Gajeel, and next we have... myself speaking about Makarov Dreyar." A quiet murmur of surprise broke out among the crowd, stunned that he was going second and not last but he quieted them saying, "Makarov Dreyar was a great man who truly understood what the bond between nakama was. It was a bond made that was thicker than blood and could erase the pain of the past, it could heal any scar and grant immense strength. Every man and woman who walked through the doors of Fairy Tail knows his love for his nakama, just how deeply he cared and how they were the number one priority in his life. They were so important that he excommunicated his own son when he attempted to harm the guild, not even giving it a second thought as he knew that his son was a danger to his precious nakama. He gave everything to this guild and expected nothing in return, just like a father does for his children and to Jiji, everyone in this guild who grew up here was his own child. He raised them, taught them how to live, made them who they are today, except for certain cases. And unfortunately a certain case was his undoing as one of those he truly loved was the one who killed him. But he died doing what he always did, he died protecting his nakama to the very bitter end. He was a man who loved his nakama and like Warrod would do anything for them, even if that meant certain death, which this time was the result. But do not feel bad or sad for him because he died doing what he loved, and he died peacefully knowing he did all he could as Master of Fairy Tail, not only as the third master but as the sixth master as well. He now rests in peace and stands watch over us all, along with the other masters and founders of Fairy Tail. And let his favorite question be the last thing I say be his trademark question, 'Do Fairies have tails?'." He finished and the crowd, at least those who were not crying stood and applauded his great speech, and did so for several minutes before he spoke for the final time that day, or so the plan said, "And now the final speaker, Gray Fullbuster speaking about Juvia Fullbuster."

The crowd went dead silent and now understood why I went last, so I could leave and cry in a hole like I had been doing. I stood and walked over to the podium and began my speech, "Juvia Fullbuster was perhaps the greatest woman to have ever lived. She was loyal, kind, loving, and caring, and as we all know she was all of those things to me twice over. I loved her greatly and did from the moment i first got to know her, but she wasn't always one of us, no originally she was an enemy who saw the light. She saw the light that was Fairy Tail and was attracted to it like a moth to a flame. She never truly knew her family and was an outcast for most of her life but thankfully for not just her but me as well, we found her. Sure at first things were weird between us as she was a tad bit obsessive over me, but I grew to love that part of her. The part that loved and loved, yet never truly never expected much in return, the part that was fiercely loyal, to a fault at time but never did her conviction waver. I loved her with all my heart and know that if she were here today, I would be the happiest man on earth. So to forever immortalize her, I am going to make something for her." I paused and turned around and yelled, "Ice Make: Sculpture J+G!" and a sculpture appeared before me. The crowd gasped and applauded as they saw what it was, a sculpture of Juvia and me. We had our arms interlocked and were both fully clothed, which for once I actually was, and on our left ring finger we each had our wedding rings, the real ones with me on my necklace. Where they would stay forever, close to my heart, I turned around and finished my speech saying, "Juvia and I will never be separated ever again. For so long as I live so will this sculpture of us, and I hope she will wait for me, because when that day comes and I go to join her, I will need her guidance to find her once again." I felt a tear escape my eye and I walked away from the podium to a raucous applause, but I didn't hear it as i began to make my way out of the church so I could pack and prepare the next part of my life, 'Now comes the hard part, the revenge I so desperately desire. I hope it is sweet like always.' And I walked away, alone like always, no family anymore, the fact a perfect reflection of my life as of right now.

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**A/N: Wow. That was sad. Kleenex worthy, really. I hope you guys liked this as it needed to be done and I hope you other time zone people do not mind the late update! REMEMBER, if you liked it show me that you did! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45: The Waiting Game

**A/N: Hello once again! Today will be a bit shorter but I just wanted to welcome justenb7, the latest follower and person to favorite this story! And thank you to saracresp for the review, and to the guest reviewer who made a point that I wholeheartedly agree with, the story is a bit slow. The story has been going on for a while now but as with all good things patience is the key. I needed to set up the characters nicely and prepare everyone for what comes next, which will happen soon. What will happen? Not gonna say, just be ready. But there should be no real confusion as long as you read the ENTIRE story, it is long, but earlier chapters explain everything, so check those out if you are confused. Now off the soapbox and on with the chapter, ENJOY!**

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Immediately After the Funeral (Laxus POV)

I watch as everyone files out of the church and back to the guild for the going away event for Gajeel and Levy, and for Gray. Those three were leaving for a time, going off to train and hopefully gather some information on Natsu and his group. I sigh and follow them, not looking forward to this event as many would be looking for me to say something to them, and I had no clue what I would say if they did. 'I already used my brain for the funeral, please don't make me do this too.'

"Sparky, are you alright? You seem off…" Olive said as she came next to me and interlocked our arms, "Worried about not having anything to say to those three who are leaving, huh?" 'Damn, she knows me too well, can read me like a book. Gods I love her.'

I sighed again and looked down at her, "Yeah, I mean already gave a good speech today for Jiji, isn't that enough?"

As I asked her she looked at me and smiled her bright and beautiful smile and said, "Nope. You're the master now; you are the one in charge. They all will be looking to you for everything now, leadership, support, understanding, guidance, to be a father figure for them… Just like Jiji was for everyone."

I looked at her and gave her a blank stare, unable to see myself trying to be like him, 'His little shoes will be ones that I will never fill. They are too big for someone like me, someone who is the opposite of him. I will never fill them… But I must try, that is what he would want and is what he thought I would be able to do when he agreed to name me master. For his sake I must at least try and fill his shoes!'

I grinned at Olive, letting her know she was right and said, "You're right, Olive. Even if I fail miserably, I must try. It is what Jiji would have wanted from me." I kept my grin on and saw her lips break out into one too, and I only stopped looking at her when I realized we had arrived at the guild hall.

I open the doors to see everyone huddled around something, murmuring quietly about it, and I immediately wade my way through them and look at what they are looking at. "THAT FUCKING IDIOT! I TOLD HIM TO WAIT AND SAY GOODBYE! GAH!" Everyone was huddled around a note Gray had left us, on it written in a poor excuse for handwriting, _'Everyone, I couldn't say goodbye as well. Please excuse me, but I have already left and have taken a train out of here. No need to look after my apartment, I left it locked and gave the key to the landlady so she can look after it. Again, I'm sorry for leaving but I just need to get away and start my training. Please take care of yourselves, and I will see everyone in a year. –Gray.'_ I sigh deeply after carefully reading the note and look to find Gajeel and Levy still here, along little Joi, Pantherlily, and Metalicana (who is outside), waiting for me so we could begin this thing.

"Well, at least you stayed. Are you two ready?" I asked and they both nodded as everyone shut up and looked at them, holding back tears of sadness as yet another person was leaving. "Everyone, do not be sad. Please don't I do well with crying people. But seriously speaking, we are here today to say goodbye to our fellow nakama, even if it's only a temporary goodbye. We say goodbye but promise never to forget you four. You are always welcome to come and stay here for a time, but do remember why you are leaving. Go and get stronger, go and do what you must, we will be here, waiting for your return. We hope that it all goes well and that we can see you again soon. Come forward and allow me to recite the rules all those who leave Fairy Tail must follow: One, you must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others for as long as you live. Two, you must never use former contacts met through your being in the guild for personal gain. Three, though our paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might, you must never consider your own life to be something insignificant, and you must never forget about your friends for as long as you live." I finished my speech and looked at them as they looked at their guild marks, which were still there, surprise on their faces. "Now, unlike most occasions your guild marks will not leave you, as you still identify yourselves as a mage of Fairy Tail. Now go. Do the name of the guild whose mark you bear proudly and bring us glory and pride, remember, you are and always will be a mage of Fairy Tail, now get going already!"

I yelled the last part a bit and they smiled at me as I turned away, a single tear staining my cheek, 'And I pray that you stay safe, who knows what plans Natsu has.' I watched as everyone else said their goodbyes and once they were done the family of five walked outside, except for the dragon who was outside, and they all climbed atop of the dragon's back, and waved. Everyone began calling out final goodbyes to them and soon enough they were gone, nothing of them left other than a speck that we knew was them, flying away off in the horizon. 'Stay safe you guys, you too Gray. Natsu… now begins the hard part. The waiting game that is about to ensue while this year passes. What are you up to, I wonder, Natsu?"

(POV Change to Natsu)

I look at the map of Fiore and throw a dozen magnetic dots at it. The dots fly at the map that is on the wall of the meeting room and then suddenly freeze slightly, redirecting to go to the correct city. I look at their resting places and groan, they are all over the place and I whine, "Why are they all so far away from here? And so far away each other? Ugh…"

"Damn, Mern are you sure these are right? One is almost next to Era and another next to Crocus? Those places are way too close for someone like Zeref…" Lucy said and Kurayami was nodding his head as well, agreeing with her.

"Unfortunately yes I am sure. He is extremely arrogant and believes that even that close to the council and the capital they won't catch him. He really is an annoying bastard. So what's the play then?" Mern said and everyone looked at me. 'Hmmm, there's too many places to look for him and he could move a lot, causing us to lose him. Hmmm, wait. Yeah that could work. Yeah! That'll work!'

"Ok, Kurayami, you and Gōsuto, you two can link your shadow dimensions, correct?" I asked and they both nodded at me. "Lucy you can teleport people too right? Rai?" I asked and Lucy immediately understood, while everyone just looked at me. "Ok, so here's what we'll do, Everyone who can teleport people will go with a group as support, and each group will hit one spot for some recon. There will be four groups, and then, since each place is clustered more or less in groups of three, they will go to each place and do the same as the first. Anyone finds him, you communicate via lacrima and tell everyone, then the person who can teleport will bring everyone to the place and we'll send Luce and Kurayami back. Then once they get back, they will send over Lumen Historie and we'll begin our assault. Any questions?" I looked at everyone and saw their assent to the plan and trust that I had mad the right choice.

"Ok, Luce your with me. Rai take Mern and Juvia. Gōsuto take Karr and Rogue. And Kurayami, you have Esoj and Nena. We leave now, but will be taking trains. Except for me and Luce, we'll be riding Igneel, everyone say the necessary goodbyes, and get Rames and tell him he probably should go home, this place won't be safe if we fail. This may be a one way trip, so be ready, because this might go south fast. But it's past the point where we can back out, so I hope you are ready. Go and meet outside in ten." I said and everyone nodded and ran off to do their things. I walked over to Lucy and grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, letting her know I would be ok. "I'll be back again, I promise."

"I know, just never easy to say goodbye. At least I'll be there to say goodbye before I must go." She said and kissed my lips, an action I soon returned fervently and we stayed just like that for a few minutes, not wanting the moment to end.

But it did as I pulled away and put my forehead to hers, "Yeah, I know. But hey this might not even be the time yet, who knows if we even find him." I looked her in the eye and smiled, and she smiled back nodding. I pulled on her hand and led us outside. Everyone was waiting and I nodded to them, wishing them luck before saluting and beginning the motto we had come to know as the saying that defined all of us. "THOUGH WE MAY HAVE NO TRUE HOME WE ARE NEVER ALONE! THOUGH NO ONE MAY WANT US WILL DO WHAT IS NEEDED! THOUGH NO ONE MAY APPRECIATE WHAT WE DO WE WILL ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING! WE ARE THE FORSAKEN, THE FORGOTTEN, THE LOST, WE ARE THE RONIN! DEATH TO OUR ENEMIES AND TO THE EVER LASTING GLORY THAT AWAITS US IN THE FUTURE. LIVE! FIGHT! LIVE AND FIGHT FOREVER!" I looked at them as I climbed aboard Igneel and saluted one last time before we all went our separate ways, hopeful to see each other again. 'So now begins the wait, who will find him first. I hate The Waiting Game.'

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**A/N: Here we go! The last set up chapter is done before the action begins! I am so sorry this took so long but I knew that for the past week I wanted to get this done but wanted it to be timed perfectly. And now here we are! I hope you guys liked it well enough and I wonder if anyone noticed last chapter had no name/title, which was intentional. The chapter was one where we see two sides of a coin beginning to reach a new point in life and become blank slates more or less, therefore the chapter had no title, it's place a blank. But who cares about that I just hope you guys had fun with this one! Remember,** **READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Found You!

**A/N: And now let the action begin! This one may not be as action packed as the rest will be but there will be some action in this chapter. First shout out to brucie86 and sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for the review and a welcome shout out to our newest follower in startailsbomber! Thanks you three for the love shown and I hope that everyone enjoys this next chapter! ENJOY!**

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Next Day (Gōsuto POV)

I look at the window of the train and sigh deeply, sad that I didn't have the chance to say goodbye to Mei. 'Damn Natsu, how impatient can you be? Of course she had to be asleep and not hear me. Fuck, I hope this all goes according to plan. Mei, wait for me!'

I hear a groan next to me and see Rogue suffering from his motion sickness, "Damn man, I know this is part of being a dragon slayer but is it usually this bad?" I looked at him as he nodded his head and almost barfed twice trying to nod his head. "Tch, how pathetic. Come on man! Be a man and get over it! Calls himself a shadow mage…" I started grumbling to myself as Karr just laughed at him, I shook my head and looked outside again and saw that we had arrived at the first location and that it was a bustling city. We had arrived in Alcalypha, home to the business guild Love and Lucky, which was now supposedly funding Zeref's travels.

"Ok, Karr, you get Rogue and carry him out of here, and then start looking. You have the main town since you're a tracker, Rogue has the outskirts, and I am going to the guild here and checking to see if they really are funding him. If so, I'm blowing it up, so get ready for a quick exit. We have three hours, so make use of them as soon as the train stops. Understood?" I asked and looked at him to make sure he understood the plan and had no complaints, he didn't. "Ok, get ready, because here we go." The train stopped and the three of us quickly get off the train and run off to our designated search areas.

I travel using my shadows, the time being midday allows for me to have a lot of shadows readily available, and I soon arrived at Love and Lucky. I stopped at the front door and fixed my clothes, a nicer dress shirt so I look like I belong somewhat. I open the door after adjusting the shirt so it looked and more importantly felt comfortable, and immediately I see several others who looked like trouble. They are talking to the manager who seemed distressed, so I walked over close by pretending I needed to write a check. I carefully listen in and just what exactly they are talking about.

"No way, that's not nearly enough! How's the boss going to pay the costs of travel? No, the original price or we're gonna get mad." The leader or so I think he is says and glares at the manager who keeps the same look old on his face, cold and emotionless. When the manager refuses to move the thug sighs and grabs the manager and lifts him up high, threatening him, saying, "Pay up or else you're gonna get it."

"No, you can tell Zeref to leaves us alone because we are done being his little bitches and lap dogs. Tell him to find a new donor or a new contributor because we here are sick an tired of it." I sat up and looked at him, and waited for one of them to make a move on the other one.

The thug moved first and he threw a punch at the manager, which I easily catch, emerging from the shadows. "Now, I don't think this would be a good idea. I mean he is the one giving you people money no? Oh he's not? Well whatever, I'm just gonna kick your ass now." That was the last thing I said before they all charged at me, the leader the first one to attack.

He throws a wild punch and I dodge with my shadows, disappearing in them and make him miss and stagger forward from the momentum. I reappear and crack one of the thug's jaw and he goes flying into another one who was next to a wall and both ended up in the wall. Then the last thug and the leader charge at me again and I laugh at them, as I disappear again and take them both by the head and knock their skulls together, knocking them out.

I stop to admire my work and chuckle, "So much for working for the black mage. Hey you, manager man. What do you know about Zeref?"

"Nothing really other than he needed a lot of money at some point and kept needing it, so he set up an account and we gave him money free of charge. That's all I know, and that is the truth." He said and I believed him, as he looked very serious at the moment, not quite nervous but definitely a bit anxious for sure.

"Ok, thanks for the help man. Now stop giving out free money and do your job. Charging people for services rendered to them. Now goodbye." I said and left the guild, with a disappointed look on my face, 'So we didn't find him here, oh well. Onto the next town over, Commie Town. I wonder how everyone else is doing, oh look Karr and Rogue, and it's almost time to go. Hmmm, this might just be a wild goose chase… I wonder what the others are doing, like Rai's team right now.'

(POV Change to Juvia)

I look at Mern and see him sleeping like a log, nothing fazing him like always. Rai was awake but was meditating and was not moving, as usual. I sighed and looked out the window, waiting to arrive to the place that was once Hargeon, but was now gone. 'I wonder if I'll see any of those bastards from Fairy Tail, if I do I might just jump the gun and kill them myself…'

"Calm down Juvia, you won't see any Fairies here, the town has been quarantined since Zeref destroyed it, no one is legally allowed to enter which is why it makes sense to look for him here I guess. Only death can survive in death." Rai said as he opened his eyes and looked right through me, almost like I wasn't there his mind on the mission.

I nod and look outside to see the train stopping, just outside of Hargeon. "It is a good thing Rai-san knows the train operator and that he owed him or else it would be a very long walk." I say and stand up and shake Mern a bit so he would wake up.

"Alright, alright. I'm up, I'm up. Geez couldn't we have picked a grouping further away, I really wanted to get a good nap in before this mission. Recharge the batteries a bit, have a few good dreams…" He said and sighed wistfully and I sighed as well. Sleep was hard to come by in an independent guild that was always active.

"Enough daydreaming, let's get going." Rai said and we nodded, we all turned to the door and saw the operator waiting for us. "Wait here, this should be like the first stop, just a quick look over, and this one should be really quick since nothing here is alive anymore. So just wait ok?" The operator nodded and let us out, nodding at each of us to say good luck. We nodded back and exited the train, seeing nothing there except a crater that was black and dead looking.

"Juvia has a bad feeling about this… Everything is far too dark for her liking. Let us hurry so we can leave." I say and Rai nods his agreement.

"This is definitely his work alright, Zeref definitely did this, never seen anything so desolate unless he did it." Mern said and shivered a bit, remembering the atrocities that Zeref had undoubtedly committed. I shook my head and tried to stop myself from picturing the things he had undoubtedly had done and was saved from it by Mern asking a question, "Look, there is the hole that he would have used to travel and reach the bunker in. Let's go check it out."

We all nodded and followed Mern who had seen the hole and was correct about it existing and it's purpose, it had torches all along the walls to light the way to our destination, the bunker. We walk down the tunnel and light the torches along the way but every time I feel like I'm going to lose my stomach to the sights. On the floor are bodies, all of them obviously dead or maimed and none of them given any merciful deaths, "Juvia cannot believe this…"

"Sorry Juvia but this is Zeref. He kills everything in sight and does not know the meaning of mercy, these people are lucky that they even have bodies still, usually he destroys that and their chance to get into heaven." Mern said and I felt even more repulsed by Zeref, 'How could any one man delight so much in death like this one does? Does he really have to do all this?'

I see the last torch next to a door and end my reverie, now readying myself for the terror that is Zeref. But the terror never comes as he is not here, there is nothing here except for a table, and it is broken. "Damn he's not here. Looks like no one has for months now. Why was this place even a viable option anymore?" Rai whined and kicked the table out of frustration, we were zero for two now.

"Because he could have been hiding here as this place is somewhere no one will go to anymore, would have made a good hiding hole. But alas he was not here, and none of his stuff was either. Let's go we still have to go to Onibus Town still." Mern said and I nodded and we left the bunker, completely underwhelmed by the room that Mern had called, "His Favorite Bunker".

We left the room and went down the tunnel and exited it, once we were outside though, after letting our eyes adjust to the sun, we heard noises from behind us. "Mern-san, what is that noise?" I asked and turned around.

"Shit! It's his reanimation spell! He is able to reanimated dead bodies with it, obviously. But that doesn't matter! Run! If they touch you and scratch or bite you your as good as dead! They're like Zombies! RUN!" Mern yelled and I saw the first one running out of there and then ran the other way myself, along with Rai.

Rai yelled, "Light Speed!" He sped up and grabbed a hold of me and Mern and we flew towards the train. But the zombies were extremely fast and closed in on us as we reached the train, "Get us moving! Now! Light Wall!" He yelled and a wall appeared and blocked the zombie things for a moment, but they soon broke it down and kept moving.

"SHIT! GET US OUT OF HERE! Thorn Thrust!" Mern yelled and his thorns cleared a lot of them, but more still kept coming, and were almost on us now.

"Water Nebula!" I yelled and two columns of water shot out my hands and hit the oncoming zombie things and pushed them back for a moment, but didn't stop them. They were almost within spitting distance, and one was even close enough to touch us when the train finally started moving and Mern cut off the arm that had reached out to touch Rai.

"Whew that was close!" Rai yelled and nodded to the operator who already knew our last stop for today.

Mern sighed and said, "Yeah, but it was also a dead end, man I hope the others are having better luck than we are…"

(POV Change to Esoj)

"Acero!" "Acero Espada!" we yelled in unison as a huge block of steel appeared and a chunk came to me and formed a sword in my hands. The reason we needed the weapons was because we were at our last location, Boa, and as it turns out so was magic enforcement and Kurayami was working on an escape plan. I swung my sword down and cut down two of the enforcers and used the hilt to hit another one. Those not crushed by the giant block of steel were now making their way towards us and were running fast. "Acero Escudo! Acero Espada! Doble!" I yelled and a shield and two swords came flying towards us, I grabbed the shield and used it to crush an enemy who was charging at me into the ground. Nena jumped up and caught the two swords and began a flurry of attacks with them, wading her way into the throng of soldiers. "Update Kurayami!"

"Still working on it, turns out transportation is hard to come by here, but I think I might have found us something. Just hang on a bit longer!" Kurayami yelled and I groaned, knowing it would be a few minutes more.

"Pierdas Calientes!" Nena yelled and lava spouted from her hand and the entire group that was in front of her. "Cabron! There's too many! I can't keep up anymore! We have to use THAT technique!" She yelled and I nodded, 'This move is risky and we have barely any practice behind it, but oh well.'

I jumped to where she was cut some more of the soldiers down and grabbed her hand, and together we combined our magic and yelled, "Mundo, Cambia Clima! Fuego!" And the weather then changed, as clouds came from nowhere even though the day was bright and sunny before now. Then from the clouds came balls of fire that rained down on them and began to thin them out and burn them alive, 'But not kill them of course, that would be too far for simple idiots like these people.'

Then Kurayami called back to us and said, "I'm ready! But us a minute for our escape and I have our ride!" We nodded and joined hands once more and yelled, Mundo, Cambia Clima! Nieve!" The fire stopped and was replace by snow, but the snow was even colder than usual and froze the soldiers just with a touch. They would thaw out after we left so we did just that and booked it, we saw Kurayami and his transportation: a magic four wheeler.

"Good job Kurayami! Now let's go!" I said and pulled Nena up and into the four wheeler, and we were soone off. "Well, I have to say we have struck out. All three places, dead ends. Hear anything from anyone Kurayami?"

"Yeah, Rai's group ran into some trouble in Hargeon but have come empty, as has my son. Natsu is en route to his last location and has found nothing either. This plan is not looking to hot right now." Kurayami said and we all sighed, knowing it was foolhardy to believe it would be this easy.

"I hope Natsu finds something or else we're for a long waiting period, and lords know how impatient he gets." Nena said and we all nodded, praying he would find him soon.

(POV Change to Natsu)

"Ugh, are we there yet? I don't really know where Shi is and yet I already hate it!" Lucy whined and put a hand to her mouth, barfing over Igneel's side again. "Sorry Igneel, but you really should hurry…" She barfed again and I simply patted her back and rubbed it, trying to soothe her.

"YES. We are just about to arrive. Now please stop barfing on me please…" Igneel said and quickly descended to where he would drop us off and wait for us. "Hurry it up, I don't like the way this place feels."

"Yeah me neither, come on Luce." I said and took her hand as we entered the place where all the rich and famous people are buried, "Ugh, why did he have to hide out in the graveyard town?"

"Because his magic kills people?" Lucy said and I sighed, knowing she was right but amazed at how blunt she was right now. We walked into town for a bit and made our way to the local pub, hoping we would find a clue as to whether or not Zeref was there. We got our answer before that, as we saw a man who fit a very surprising description near the pub; Zeref's second in command nowadays, Lawhn Greer, Mern's oldest brother.

"Shit, it's that Lawhn guy! We found him! Zeref must be here, quick let's follow him to see where Zeref is hiding." I said excitedly, my hopes rising thanks to the new information I had. We stalked after him, keeping a good distance as we did not want him seeing us and we needed to make sure we could transport everyone here. We followed him and finally he stopped by a tomb cave that was marked by a very well known name, "Well shit. They're using an old Heartiphilia tomb for their base. Messed up mother fuckers." I said this and Lucy's grip on my hand tightened.

"Make sure you kill all of them very slowly, ok?" She said and got into position.

I pulled out the lacrima and tuned it correctly, then said into it, "Guys we found him! I repeat we found him he's in Shi! Lucy's teleporting you guys here now, so be ready!" I looked and saw Lawhn look around and shrug, the enter the tomb, the tomb closing shut after he went inside. 'We found you, Zeref. Now we will kill you and your demons.'

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**A/N: Whew, it is done! I'm excited for the next chapter just like you guys, but… it will have to be Sunday I'm afraid. I'm far too busy tomorrow and will not be able to post a chapter so I am so sorry! But I hope you guys enjoyed this one and remember!** **READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47: It's a Trap!

**A/N: Wow. Just amazed really. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! You can't see this but I do and that is the view count and you get set the high for the week yesterday, without there being an update! 47 of you combined to make this happen and not only that, there was two new followers in radishbumps and ellaskye520 and two new favoriters in radishbumps and mrady, and a review by brucie86! WOW! And if I can do simple addition, which is debatable sometimes, that is a full combination of ten! You know what that means. YUP DOUBLE CHAPTER DAY! OH and who read the last chapter? SO EPIC! BUT I DIGRESS AS ALWAYS, SO ENJOY THE FIRST OF TWO CHAPTERS!**

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(Natsu POV)

I stand up and look carefully to see the tomb closing and I look over to Lucy and nod, she nods back and begins to gather magical energy. Then she opens her eyes and they are glowing a bright gold, blinding me momentarily as she yells in a booming voice that is not her own, "Celestial Medium: Transport!" Then she puts her hands out and a bright light emits from them for a moment and suddenly eight lights, shaped like people, appear before her and the glow dims. From the eight lights came the entirety of Ronin, all eight mages alive and ready to go inside and finish our work.

"Ok, good work Luce. Now rest a moment and go back ok?" I said and she nodded, then I looked to everyone else and said to them, "Ok, everyone remember their part?" They all nodded and I nodded as well, "Ok, let's get going then!" Then I began to lead them down to the tomb until I had a strange feeling in my stomach and sniffed the air, holding my fist up to stop everyone.

"What's wrong boss?" Asked Esoj and I looked around and saw nothing necessarily wrong, just everything looked creepy. 'What was that?'

(POV Change to Zeref)

"Did the fool Dragneel take the bait?" I asked Lawhn and he nodded, a smirk on his face. "Good, tell the rune mages to throw up the barrier and the elite demons are to guard them." I said and Lawhn laughed and ran off, the plan working perfectly. "Now Natsu, there will be no chance of escape. Be ready, I will try to kill you and the only one capable of killing me is you. Our battle is now inevitable, nothing is leaving Shi anytime soon." I said to myself and walked to the observation room and waited for the magic to happen.

(POV Change Back to Natsu)

I looked back and saw Lucy wave goodbye to me, then she lit up like a star and… nothing happened. I became panicked and yelled to Gōsuto, "Gōsuto! Can you use your transportation magic to get out of here?!"

So Gōsuto tried to leave the area as well, but it was to avail, "WHAT THE FUCK?! Natsu! I think he knows we're here! It's a trap!" Sure enough the tomb opened up and out came hundred of demons and those weird zombie things Rai's group ran into back in Hargeon. "FUCK!"

"Defensive positions! LUCE! Call out some spirits! Preferably the big guns!" I yelled and lit my fists on fire and took point, and began mowing down the demons.

"Open Gates of the Lion, the Paladin, and the King! Leo, Arthur, and Spirit King!" She yelled and out came her three strongest spirits, the last two the strongest two in existence. 'Shit, I said call out the big boys but this is overkill.'

The trio charged into the fray and began mowing demons and zombies left and right, every which way they came they were promptly taken care of. "Hey you three! Can I leave the grunts to you guys?" I called out and they all nodded and motioned for us to go on ahead as the Spirit King yelled out, "Galaxia Blade!" and opened up a path for us to go through. Then Loke and Arthur flew into the gap and kept it open for us, taking down any demons that tried to get through. "Everyone else, come on! Let's get moving!"

"NATSU WAIT!" I heard Igneel yell in my mind and I look around and see him flying towards us, being chased by a lot of somethings, "I need your help! He sent these demon beasts after me and they're about as strong as an average dragon! I can't take them all by myself, I need you to help me out here! Hurry!" 'Shit! This is bad, I have to take care of family first!'

"Esoj, take point, I'll be right in after I finish up out here! Go!" I yell and see Esoj hesitate before looking around and seeing my family in trouble, then he nods and leads the group inside. I sigh and turn to the demons and enter my dragon force mode, wanting to end this quickly. The ground begins to crack under the pressure my dragon force exerts and many of the demons begin to choke on the pressure or simply fall unconscious. I charge at them jumping up in the air and yelling, "Hidden Fire Form - Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Blade!" which is my strongest attack and I land in the middle of all the demons and my flames crush them and burn them right up. I release my dragon force mode so I didn't crush everyone inside with the surface that I was standing on which was now a crater where it had originally been a cemetery. I look and find at least three fourths of the demons are all gone now, nothing but ashes.

I turn to the spirits and nod a 'your welcome' and they nod back their thanks as they begin the mop up work. I turn and see Igneel closing in and I jump up and land on his back, standing upright and looking at these beasts that Zeref had sprouted, each one looking almost identical to a dragon but with scales that did not look as tough and necks that were very long but intimidating none the less. "Damn, the even look tough, Igneel you sure I'll be enough?"

"Do you mock the mighty Igneel and his equally mighty son? Of course we are more than enough! Now fight!" Igneel announced proudly and I nodded and lit my hands, preparing for battle. I waited until Igneel was close to one of them and jumped off of him and onto the beast's back, and exerted my power over it. Apparently it is a close dragon imitation as my dragon force mode quickly subdues it and it now obeys whatever I tell it to do, using merely my thoughts.

'Ok, take me to three on the left! Igneel has the ones on the right. Charge!' I ordered and it did as it was told, flying us towards the three on the left who looked shocked that one of their own was dominated so easily. I chuckled at their reaction and took the chance to light my hand with dragon force fire and it formed a sword that as big as a skyscraper, "Hidden Fire Form- Hell's Executioner Sword!" 'Get us close to them!' I ordered and he did just that and began fighting with the one he got the closest to, then I jumped off and ran across his opponents back and jumped up and swung the fire sword. I connected with my target which was above the one who's back I had used as a springboard and hit its neck, burning through his weak scales and cutting it's head clean off. The head falls as do I until I use my magic fire foot jetpack spell and shot up the other one who was at a complete loss at what it should do. I smirk at it's confusion and charge at it hoping to catch it off guard, but alas he recovered and avoided my sword that I had swung up trying to get it to join it's headless friend. Then I threw the sword up at the beast's chest and the sword hit its mark, sticking into the beast's chest and ending its short run at life. The sword was still solid, even though I threw and I glided over to the beast that was free falling and took the sword back.

I look and saw that the beast I had dominated had won its little struggle, holding its enemy's neck and head in its mouth. 'Good work now come back over here and pick me up. I get the feeling that wasn't the last of them.' And I was right, three more came from nowhere and began flying at me, looking pretty mad about their friends being killed. My beast threw the head in it's mouth at one and began grappling with it, causing me to sweat drop and sigh nervously, 'Um, ok you got him then. These two will be mine.'

"Hidden Fire Form- Hell's Fire Lance!" I yelled and the sword changed into multiple lances that while still quite large, were now not as big. I picked one up and used my fire to boost myself up and got to eye level with one of the beast, who clawed at me. I stopped his claws by stabbing his paw with the lance I had in my hand and it jerked it away, allowing me a perfect shot at it's heart which I took and threw a lance at it. It hit the mark and the beast screamed in pain, but did not fall immediately so I picked up another lance from my back, where I had put the others, and threw another and it landed in the exact same spot, going right through the first and into the beast's heart. The beast cried out for a moment before it's scream became soundless and it fell to the ground, landing with a thud. I turn to see the other one now directly flying at me and all I have time to do is yell, "Hidden Fire Form - Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Blade!" the lances disappear but the fire of rebuke covers me instead and I fly at the beast, the fire forming a sword around me. I fly right at the beast and through its open mouth at an upward angle, hitting the beast's brain and killing it instantly. I look and see that my beast won again but a cost this time, on of its wings had a hole in it and it went down to the ground landing without a sound, 'Huh, what the fuck?'

When it landed, it landed on a blade. The Spirit King's blade and was now dead. "Spirit King! What the fuck man? I had it under my control you idiot! He wouldn't have hurt you!"

"Look where he was going!" He said and so I did and saw that underneath him was Lucy and I immediately understood.

"Oh. Never mind then! Good work!" I yelled down and felt something was off, so I looked to where Igneel was, and saw the problem.

He had taken down three of the six he was fighting, but the other three had ganged up on him. Now one had its claws in Igneel's neck while another had its teeth in Igneel's neck. The last one was hovering near him but had already done damage to Igneel, holding a piece of Igneel's right wing in it's mouth. "IGNEEL!" I yelled and flew over to where he was and lined myself up one of the beasts on his neck and yelled, "Hidden Fire Form - Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Blade!" I picked up speed and went right through the beast's stomach, burning his inside's up like a forest fire. The beast fell and let go of Igneel. The other beast saw its partner die and let go of Igneel who began to fall to the ground, unable to stay afloat now due to his destroyed wing. I turned to the two remaining beasts and cracked the bones in my neck and motioned for them to come at me. They fell for the bait and came flying at me, so I got into position and yelled, "Hidden Fire Form - Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Blade: Wings!" and the fire of rebuke coated my arms instead of my body, and fly in between the two beast. I flew in between their necks and since my arms were now wing blades, or wings that were made of blades, I cut off their heads in one clean sweep.

The now headless beasts fell to the ground and landed next to Igneel, who was breathing heavily and was in obvious pain. I slowly descended to where Igneel was and landed softly, my heart breaking into a million pieces seeing the pain Igneel was in. "Dad…" I said quietly and heard someone walk up next to me and saw that it was Lucy, whose spirits had long since defeated the demons. She put a hand on my shoulder and had tears in her eyes, understanding what this meant: Igneel's days of flying were now over, as were his days as the Mighty Igneel, King of the Fire Dragons. I walked up to him and put my hand on his head and whispered to him, "I'm so sorry Dad, just hang in there, Lucy will have Virgo heal you right up. Just hang on."

"Natsu… why can't I feel my wing?" Igneel asked and I looked into his eyes and saw something I had never seen before: fear. "Natsu! Why can't I feel my right wing?!" He asked slightly more panicked as I had yet to answer him and he looked me in the eye. I looked at him for a moment but couldn't hold his gaze and looked away, tears staining my eyes. "Oh, I see. So… its… its…" He started but couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.

"Yes you old fool. Your right wing is gone." Said a melodic voice and I turned to see Grandine there, but her words did not match her demeanor or her eyes. "I am sorry my old friend, but it looks like your reign as the king of the fire dragons is over." She said and Igneel finally mustered the courage to look at his wing and saw that it was true.

He let out a mighty roar, but instead of anger behind the roar, there was only sadness, as he knew he was a cripple and no longer welcome among his fellow dragons. 'A dragon with no wings is just an overgrown lizard.' Is what he would say and I finally understood what that meant, their wings separated them and made them dragons, without them they really were lizards again.

Lucy came next to me and whispered in my ear, "You need to go. They still need you down there and it looks like we can still get Lumen Historie in to Shi, we just can't leave here. Now go." I looked at her and she nodded and took my spot next to Igneel.

"Yes. Natsu you must go, they need you now more than ever. Go, I have Grandine here she will look after me as will Luce. NOW GO!" Igneel yelled and I looked at him. He had pushed back his sadness for a moment and was giving me the look that always said to do my job.

"Ok, dad. I'll be right back…" I said and made my way to the tomb only to see that the door was closed now, so I pressed the button that Lawhn had pressed but the door did not open. "What the fuck…?" I then lit myself up again and got back into my dragon force mode and yelled, "Hidden Fire Form - Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Blade!" I flew at the door and hit it hard, but yet again nothing happened to the door. Instead writing appeared on it and I knew what it was, "RUNES! I'M STUCK OUT HERE!" As I yelled that Lucy came running over and saw that I was right and her eyes grew wide as she read the runes, _'None shall now enter the tomb of the Heartiphilias as long as the Black Mage Zeref lives.'_ I looked at her and she shook her head, she couldn't get it open on her own, "Fuck…" I said and plopped myself down on the ground as I knew we were fucked, at least everyone inside of the tomb was.

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**A/N: Well shit, another plot twist. Hahaha… please don't hurt me! I will only accept tomatoes being thrown at me but please no rocks, swords, arrows, or anything else that can actually hurt me. Words are ok, but the arc title should have given it away, Natsu has no desire to get revenge against Zeref, but someone else does, two people do actually so I think we all know who will be fighting him. The second chapter will be up later on today so be on the lookout! Oh and i wonder if anyone noticed the Star Wars reference in the title, if not then you should look at it and if you did but don't understand it then you have not lived and should watch Star Wars episode six. We are also starting a new combination of ten obviously so. Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Brothers

**A/N: Did I say later today? I meant right now! If you are trying to skip ahead instead of reading the last chapter do not do that! The last chapter was all Natsu fighting so go back! And if you are new to the story don't even bother trying to read from her you'll just be confused, go back to the first chapter and start there. Trust me. To those still on this chapter, ENJOY!**

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(Mern POV)

"Esoj, take point, I'll be right in after I finish up out here! Go!" I hear Natsu yell as I see Igneel being chased by a bunch of Zeref's dragon beasts, 'Not quite as strong as a real dragon but very close. ' I look to Esoj who nods to Natsu and leads the rest of us inside, all of us piling in after him.

We run down the stairs as fast as possible and reach the bottom soon after, and hear a loud sound behind us. "What was that?" Rai asked and Juvia who was bringing up the rear went back up the stairs quickly and we heard a loud gasp.

She ran back down and looked pale, and said, "The door has closed. Juvia tried to open it with her magic but the door is protected by runes, there is no way out!"

Everyone cursed under their breaths as we knew that the plan had gone to shit without Natsu there to lead us and fight Zeref for us. "Ok, everyone listen up! Here's the new plan!" Esoj said loudly and everyone looked at him, albeit a bit skeptical of what he had thought up. "Ok, Mern. You take care of your brother, you said you two are basically clones of each other and are at the same level in terms of power so you should be able to do it."

'Huh, for once I like his plan. Alright Lawhn, you cocky bastard, I hope you can say hi to Mard for me.' I look at Esoj as I think to myself and nod, agreeing with his plan and praising his memory skills, I had only told him that once, when I first met the Ronin in Naito.

"Ok, then Juvia, Rai, Rogue and Karr will find the rune mages and take them out. Meanwhile Gōsuto, Nena, and I will take care of Zeref." He said, and that last part he spat out Zeref's name and looked angry just saying it, but looked… excited? 'Wait, that's right. Zeref destroyed his hometown, so he probably wants some revenge.'

"Alright everyone, go!" He said and everyone went their own way, I followed the rune problem team as I knew that Lawhn would be near them protecting Zeref's plans like he always did as Zeref's personal bodyguard. We ran for a bit before we saw what we were looking for, a door that was heavily guarded by all of Zeref's elite demons. And as I had guessed, Lawhn was there too.

"Huh? Mern you fucker, is that you? Tch, traitor!" Lawhn said as he saw me and glared at me. I returned his icy stare and snarled at him, not like he ever cared what I had done before.

"Yes, I betrayed Zeref. You wanna know why? Because I saw the truth! He doesn't care about any of us! He only wants to use us up and then will throw us aside. How is that any way to live?" I asked him and looked at the other demons but they didn't seem to care at all, they were still entranced by Zeref's power.

"Ha! That's only for the failures like you! Now, come! I know why you people are here, so let's dance!" Lawhn said and got into his fighting stance, I sighed knowing talking was useless and got into the same stance he was in. Then I charged and the others followed me and took on the demons gathered there, while Mern and me began to fight. "Thorns!" We both yelled and thorns shot out of the ground and collided with each other, stopping themselves before they even got close to us. "Thorn Sword!" I yelled and thorns shot out of my hand and formed into a sword.

I charged at him as he looked mildly amused at my ingenuity, using my thorns to create a sword. He put his hand and he yelled, "Thorn Bullet!" and thorns came flying at me like bullets. I had to stop charging and start avoiding them, deflecting what I could with my sword. But even that was not enough, as some of the thorn bullets hit me on my shoulders and arms. 'Fuck, I forget how fast he is with everything. Damn Zeref for giving us all one trait we were superior at. Mard had the useless one with intelligence, I got brute strength, and Lawhn here got speed. Shit!' I was broken out of my reverie as Lawhn used his great speed and got in my face, and put his hand right next to my chest, 'FUCK!' and he yelled, "Thorn Bomb!"

A massive explosion came from his hand and sent me flying back, but surprisingly the explosion was small and weaker than I thought it would be. 'Huh? What was that? That was way to weak… Wait now I remember he's just way faster than I am, not as strong as me too! Ok, now I just have to catch him or get in close and stay close, that way I can use my strength!' I looked up from where I landed and saw that I was not that far away from him, "What that all you got? Come on, Zeref's personal bodyguard and you can't even hurt a 'failure' like me?" I taunted and saw that I got to him, his pride was way too big for his own good and he charged at me. He was on me quickly but I was ready and had my fist waiting for him to arrive, and I swung right before he got there and hit him square in the jaw, and he went flying into a wall. 'Yup, I have to let him come to me, then attack him at the right moment. That plan should work.'

He got up slowly and I laughed heartily, "What, that all you got? Come on I thought you were fast? Tch, I guess not!" My taunt worked in making him angry but instead of charging at me he simply pointed his finger at me and yelled, "Thorn Sniper!" And suddenly a thorn bullet came flying at me, fast approaching my head, 'Shit!' I dropped to the ground and the bullet flew over me, but then Lawhn was there as well.

'Perfect!' I thought and, laying on my back, kicked at his leg and made contact with his knee, and Lawhn buckled from the strike. I jumped back up and punched him in the jaw, causing his head to snap to the side and I punched him in the gut this time. He lurched forward from the force of the punch and I used that moment to deliver an uppercut to his chin, which sent him flying into the roof. He hit the roof and came back down to the floor and landed with a thud, and he didn't move for a moment. 'What? That it already? Tch, I knew he was weak but I though he had the same magical power as me… I guess his body is too frail.'

I turned and saw that the others were finishing up the demons, I began to walk over to them to help speed things up. But then I heard some moving and saw Lawhn, bloodied and battered, get up and yell at me, "Thorn Time Bomb!"

'Fuck! When did he do that?!' Was the last thing I thought before my shoulder exploded and I was sent flying away, crashing into a wall. 'Fuck, my shoulder! Gah! He must have planted it when he hit me with those bullets earlier! FUCK MY SHOULDER!' I looked at my shoulder and saw the skin was gone basically, leaving my bones bare to the world, the muscles burned as well. "FUCK!" I yelled and looked to Lawhn who was panting heavily now, tired after the beating I gave him and from using such a costly spell. 'I could try and take him at distance but he would probably just dodge it. I need to get back in close to him again, but how? And once I do, how do I fight with only one shoulder? Wait, I'll use that spell!'

"Thorn Cover!" I yelled and my body became encased by thorns, safe from most attacks and covering up my shoulder and beginning the healing process. "Hey Lawhn, you look a little tired there. You alright or did the 'failure' punch you in the face too hard? What's wrong? I thought you were faster than that but even my slow ass fists keep hitting you." I taunted and he glared at me, and stood up a bit more upright so he didn't look any more pathetic than he already did.

He looked at me and I looked at him, both of us staring each other down and not noticing that everyone else was already done fighting and was now watching. No one dared move though because they wanted to see just how this would turn out. Lawhn made the first move, yelling "Thorn Sword!" and came charging at me, I answered his challenge to a sword duel and yelled, "Thorn Sword!" And recalled my sword and brought it up into a defensive position, but I was too slow as he came and ran by me, slicing my side open through my body armor as his sword was very sharp and I yelled out in pain.

He stopped running and turned around, coming at me again and swung his sword at me at a high speed. I blocked it this time, but barely and he began attacking me with his sword at a ridiculous speed. I barely was able to keep up and block his attacks but I did it for each one of his attacks, the longer he kept coming at me the slower he got. 'Good, he's getting tired. Just a bit more and I should be able to finish this.' I let him keep up his onslaught and he just kept coming at me, not stopping but definitely getting slower and losing the force behind his attacks. He swung one last time and then I struck, parrying his sword out of the way and then striking down with my own sword into his stomach. I pierced his stomach and what were most likely vital organs and he howled in pain.

I pulled my sword out and put it right next to his neck as he fell to his knees from the pain. "Wait! Mern, come on man, I know we don't always get long but you're my brother. You wouldn't kill your own brother would you?" He asked and I looked at him shaking my head.

"My, my, Zeref's personal bodyguard and self-proclaimed strongest among the Greer family, begging for his life? Haha, yes this is what vindication feels like! You and Mard were both just so arrogant and smug weren't you? Always kissing up to Zeref and E.N.D., always making me look bad in front of them so you could get ahead of me because I was the embodiment of brute strength, well guess what? They won't be able to save you now. No one will, and guess what else? I know the secret of the family." I said taunting him as he looked up at me in surprise when I said the last part. "Yes I found the scrolls, and now I know. Kill a member of Greer, and take his power. It's a bit barbaric but hey, I'm a neanderthal according to you and Mard, so it falls right into my style. Goodbye brother."

I swung my sword and cut his head off, clean off and it landed next to the door I wanted. I looked at everyone who looked at me confused and I was confused as well, until a bright light came from Lawhn's dead body. The light engulfed me and I felt his power flowing through me, I felt faster and I looked down at him. "Thanks Lawhn, you are a good brother for giving me your power. Now everyone else, let's bring down the rune barrier." I said and walked to the door, everyone else following me.

I opened the door and saw it was a single mage that was doing it all by himself. With the sword I still had in my hand I ran up to him and stabbed him in the back, piercing his heart and bringing down the runes. I looked to Juvia and Rai and said, "Go make sure the barrier is down now and get Natsu. Rogue and Karr, you're with me, we'll be supporting the three fighting Zeref." I said and then felt the ground shake, the source being from where the three were went off to. "Uh, we should probably hurry." I said and everyone nodded and ran off to so their jobs, we ran to where the shaking had come from and see a door there.

I try and open the door but can't, as there is no doorknob or anything we could use to open it with. I try and push it open, but feel myself getting nowhere as the door is sealed from the inside. "Fuck, where's Natsu?" I asked out loud and saw Rogue shrug, Karr sniffed the air and then shrugged.

Then I heard footsteps and looked to see Natsu and the others running towards us and he yells, "Good work on bringing down the runes! I'm guessing Gōsuto, Nena, and Esoj are in there?" He asked and we all nodded and he got to work, seeing as the door was no use for us. He used his fire and melted the door down, but was then stopped as piles of dirt came from the opening and buried him underneath it.

"What the fuck? ESOJ! What are you doing? He must have put earth in the way so no one could get in there, but now he's trapped! Fuck, I just hope that he was able to figure out that he could get Lumen Historie in, or else he's as good as dead." Natsu said and we all looked at the door, praying that he did and that they would be ok.

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**A/N: Whew! I'm done for the day! That was crazy and as we can see, Esoj is definitely gonna try and get his revenge now, even if it kills him. Well I hope you guys enjoyed the action, and I hope you guys are ready, because tomorrow is the day! Gōsuto, Nena, and Esoj versus Zeref! Who will win? Will they all survive? Who knows? Oh wait, I do! Hahahaha and I'm not saying a word. Oh and I hope no one realized but after looking it up apparently Lucy's last name is spelled Heartifilia not Heartiphilia, so yeah thanks for telling me… Same with Greer, it's actually Geer apparently, so yeah I can spell well obviously. Hahahaha, oh well.** **Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49: La Venganza es Dulce

**A/N: Sorry for the no update yesterday, but wow, no tomatoes, or anything at all actually. A quiet two days so I'm guessing you guys are ok with how it's going but might not after this piece of news. The story will be ending in ten chapters, maybe even less, could end in six chapters. I'm not really sure but I know the end is close now, so yeah get pumped for the end! Now onto the big battle, the big showdown, the first true arc climax! Enjoy chapter 49!**

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(Esoj POV)

"Esoj, take point, I'll be right in after I finish up out here! Go!" I hear Natsu yell as I see Igneel being chased by a bunch of Zeref's dragon beasts, 'What the fuck? Are those real dragons or demons?' I wonder and nod my head and lead everyone inside, formulating a plan in my head to buy Natsu time. 'Damn, not only is our number two out but our number one is delayed now, what else could go wrong?'

The answer came as soon as everyone was inside, and we reached the bottom of the stairs, we heard a loud sound behind us. "What was that?" Rai asked and Juvia who was bringing up the rear went back up the stairs quickly and we heard a loud gasp.

She ran back down and looked pale, and said, "The door has closed. Juvia tried to open it with her magic but the door is protected by runes, there is no way out!"

Everyone cursed under their breaths as we knew that the plan had gone to shit without Natsu there to lead us and fight Zeref for us. "Ok, everyone listen up! Here's the new plan! Ok, Mern. You take care of your brother, you said you two are basically clones of each other and are at the same level in terms of power so you should be able to do it." I say and see Mern think about and nod, so I continued, "Ok, then Juvia, Rai, Rogue and Karr will find the rune mages and take them out. Meanwhile Gōsuto, Nena, and I will take care of Zeref." I couldn't help but smirk a bit, knowing my chance at revenge that I never thought I would get was now coming, 'Huh, we may not have Natsu and Lucy, but this works out for Nena and me too, we get our shot to kill the bastard who destroyed our home. La venganza is so close I can taste it! Que rico!'

"Alright everyone, go!" I yelled and everyone split into the two groups I had assigned them to and we ran in the opposite direction, guessing Zeref would be away from where the rune mages were. We kept running until we reached a small door, it looked insignificant and like there was no way it was important, until we got up close to it. The door was made of pure gold and silver, and was adorned with several different gems that were all rare and hard to find on any legal market. 'Yeah he's definitely in here, arrogant little bastard.'

I motion to Nena and she nods, she moves in front of the door putting her hand to it and prepared to melt it down. But then the door instead just opened ominously and we all look at each other slightly confused. A moment later I shrug and motion to Gōsuto to take point for a moment, and he goes in first followed by me, then Nena. What we find surprises us as we find a massive room, the ceiling high up and the room itself open and bigger than the arenas we created at Fairy Tail.

I look around and see the man I hate with every fiber of my body standing in the middle of the room, The Black Mage Zeref. "Tch, who are you three? I was expecting Natsu. How disappointing." He said and I felt my jaw tighten and I clench my fists as tightly as I can, "Oh, you seem to know me, but I don't recognize you. What are your names?"

"Esoj Anoren, El Padre Naturaleza from La Empieza." "Nena Anoren, La Madre Naturaleza from La Empieza." "Gōsuto, The Ghost of Naito." We all say and look at Zeref as he nods with understanding of just exactly who we are.

"Ah, the trio that have been traveling with Natsu and Lucy Dragneel. And yes, I know they are married, everyone does after your attack on Fairy Tail. But you two said you were from La Empieza? Hahahaha, perfect. Saves me the trouble of going back there and killing more people for the information I desire." He said and I had to restrain from attacking him then and there, I had to wait until we were all ready. "Now tell me, how did your country's founders create Lumen Historie or what is the owner change incantation? Just tell me and I promise to make your death quick and as painless as possible."

"Ha! Like hell we would tell you! Gōsuto get the link ready! The runes probably are stopping us from leaving but not bringing things here, so get to work!" I say and look at Nena and mouth 'A' and she nods, getting into position.

"Acero!" She yells and a giant block of steel appears above Zeref and falls down, he merely dodges and looks at us.

"Was that supposed to work on me or something?" He asks mockingly and laughs at us. He doesn't realize this part of the plan.

"No, but this will. Acero Balas!" I yell and parts of the steel chip off of the block and turn into bullets and fly at Zeref.

He simply put his hands together making some odd sign and says, "Repulsion!" The bullets stop flying towards him and instead turn around fly back at the block, lodging themselves inside of it. 'What? What kind of magic does he have…' Then I am flabbergasted as the block begins to decompose itself and slowly turns into nothing but dust. 'What the fuck?! What was that?! Do all his spells kill everything it touches?'

"Surprised? Hahaha, yes my magic can kill anything it touches, ANYTHING. Even something that is already dead, like you three." He said and began cackling at us. I looked at Nena who looked at me and we both knew this was going to be tough, tougher than anything we had ever done. But not impossible, we still had one ace in the hole.

"Gōsuto! How's the link going?" I ask and see him sitting cross-legged, focusing intently.

"I can't say, the link is harder to establish since there is no mental link and I have to actually find him now. I'd say hold out for at least five more minutes, but I'm not even sure if that will be enough. Just hold on tight for a bit please!" He says and I look to Nena who nods, knowing this wasn't looking good for us.

I sigh and look her in the eyes, and say, "Five minutes? Ok, we'll buy you ten. Come on Nena, let's do this! All we have to do is not get hit too much by his magic, a direct hit will definitely mean the end for us." I said and Nena nodded at me and we both turned to find Zeref looking at us mildly amused.

"What, you guys planning something? Hahaha, like it will even matter, I will kill you guys regardless of what you guys do. Now come and fight me!" He said and threw the coat he had on off and got into a fighting stance that I had never seen before and I had fought a lot of mages up to this point in my life. He was leaning forward with his hands together, his hands together like he would cast a spell at any moment.

I sigh and look to Nena and mouth 'L' and she smiles at the idea and we turn and charge at Zeref, going at him head on. He looks at us surprised by our boldness but he doesn't move, instead he just straightens up and waits.

"Pierdas Calientes!" Nena yells and lava flies from her hand and go directly towards Zeref, who simply blocks it with his magic and the lava turns to dust. However right when he was doing this I had used her attack as a distraction and got behind Zeref, and yelled, "Lanzallamas!" and fire spewed from my mouth. Zeref noticed this and cursed under his breath, and rolled out of the way surprising me. 'Why didn't he just use his magic and block it? He obviously saw me and could have but instead he dodged it. Does that mean there's like an interval he must have in between spells? Hmmmm, let's test this theory.'

I look at Nena and mouth 'Pistola' and she looks at me confused. I just give her a look that says trust me and she nods, as I charge at Zeref and yell, "Lanzallamas!" again. This time he does use his magic to turn my fire into nothingness, but Nena use that time to launch her attack as she yells, "Pistola de Fierro!" and balls of iron fly at Zeref. He barely has time to react and is forced to dodge, Nena realizes why I had her do that maneuver and attacks again yelling, "Pistola de Fuego!" and fire balls go towards Zeref, but this time he blocks it with his magic and looks at us, trying to see if we knew the flaw in his magic. 'So he can't use his magic immediately after casting a spell, there's at least a five second interval, but it may be shorter. We'll just have to find out, but this is important, we now know he isn't entirely invincible.'

"Three seconds." He said and I looked at him, wondering if he knew what I was thinking, "You have at least three seconds to strike me after I use a spell, that' it. Better time your attacks well, or else this will be a really short fight." 'Fuck, three seconds? That's it? Damn, our attacks will have to be extremely precise. Lucky me, I'm fighting with my partner in crime, we can make three seconds work.'

I look at Nena and motion with my eyes, making a dome shape and she understands, and yells, "Acero!" And another block of steel appears. This time before anyone can react I jump back along with Nena and yell, "Acero Carcel: Cien Paredes! " The block morphs into a dome and has one hundred walls in it, and it traps him inside.

We land a good distance away, and look at each other, and Nena says, "Cabron, we are thoroughly fucked. Three seconds is barely any time and if we don't get the timing just right, we won't last very long. He's already proven he's strong, maybe even stronger than the two of us combined. We should us the forbidden technique here." She says, doubt in her eyes, and my eyes feel like they're ready to pop out of my head.

"No way! That technique was forbidden for a reason! Just using it successfully shorten one's lifespan by thirty years! And if we mess up the timing, we will die! We can't use that technique, ever! We have too much to live for, we have a kid now! We can beat him conventionally, we can time our attacks perfectly, and we are Los Padres de la Naturaleza! We are called that because we can do anything if we do it together now come on! Stand and fight with me!" I said and immediately the doubt left her eyes and she stood with me, her hopes swelling like a balloon. I look over to Gōsuto and see him sweating a bit, the concentration he has amazing. "Gōsuto, how are we looking? Any closer?"

"Yes, I found my way to Naito via the shadows and I'm looking for the base, but I still need another few minutes, I know I'm asking a lot here since it's already been ten minutes, but still I need more time!" He replied opening his eyes and closing them immediately after, pouring all his concentration and effort back into his job.

I nodded and said, "We'll buy you another ten then. Let's go Nena!" She nodded and we both turned to find Zeref making his way out of the dome prison, the final wall turning into dust, looking none too pleased.

"Alright that's it! I'm killing you slowly now! Annoying little bastards!" He yelled and charged at us, obviously very angry.

He ran at us and I made a gun with my hands and saw Nena nod, she ran at him and yelled, "Pistola de Aceite!" Oil shoots out of her hand at Zeref who blocks it before she yells, "Pistola de Aceite!" again and this time it hits him in the face. He is forced to close his eyes and I make my move, yelling, "Lanzallamas!" and fire hits him in the face as he can't see that I'm right in front of him. He howls in pain and uses his magic to put out the fire and I see that he didn't take any damage from that attack. 'Fuck! I hit him dead on with my fire with oil on his face and he isn't even hurt! What the fuck… wait. He's almost immortal right now. I guess we'll have to stall a bit longer then.'

I make a stabbing motion and Nena nods and yells, "Acero!". Yet another block appears and I yell out, "Acero Espada: Doble! Acero Cuchillo!" And two swords and a small knife come from the block, the swords come to me and the knife goes to Nena. I charge at Zeref, as does Nena but from the opposite side and I attack him with one sword which he blocks and turns to dust, but Nena comes from behind and tries to stab him. He saw it coming though and kick behind himself, hitting Nena right in the gut. She staggers back a bit and I bring the sword in my other hand down on him hoping I'm not too slow. But it didn't even matter as Zeref side steps me and punches me in the kidney, which causes me to howl in pain and back up from him so he doesn't hit me with his magic.

Nena this time makes the first move and charges at him and swings her knife at him, but he merely dodges all the slashes ease. I come up behind him and swing my remaining sword diagonally at his back, but he dodges my swing too flipping over me. I grab my sword by the hilt and throw it up at him, hoping that he would be too preoccupied to stop it. I was wrong as, mid flip, he blocks the sword and it turns to dust. But what neither of us saw was that Nena had gotten behind us and was waiting for Zeref to land. When he did and turned around, she stabbed him right in the gut, jumping back as soon as she did so he couldn't touch her.

He howled in pain for a moment, then pulled the knife out of his gut and made it turn to dust. I looked at his feet, hoping to see a pool of blood beginning to form but I saw nothing of the sorts. The floor beneath his feet was dry as a bone, his face told us how he felt, and his face mirrored his attitude of pure annoyance. "You know, I gave you guys a chance to give up, have a slightly less painful death, but yet you ignored me. Now you guys have drawn my ire, and like I hear Natsu is, drawing my ire is not wise." Zeref said and began to move his hands, beginning to cast his spell.

'Fuck! Gotta get away from him now!' I jump back as far as I can from Zeref and keep jumping back until I'm next to Gōsuto and look at him. He's sweating like he's in a sauna and his face is scrunched up like he's constipated. I hesitate before asking him, "Hey Gōsuto, how are we looking.."

His eyes shoot open and he smiles at me, saying, "Link established! It should take me another minute to bring Lumen Historie here to where we are, but we should be able to do it now." I look at Zeref and he's still preparing his spell, not having moved just yet and I look back to Gōsuto who touches his head and worry replaces his grin. "Umm, Esoj you might wanna seal us in here, Lumen is being a tad bit restless. It will take me longer to bring her here. Call Nena over here, I might need her real quick."

I knew he wasn't telling me everything but I had no choice but to do as he said, "Nena! Come here!" I yell and Nena looks at me and nods, running over to me and I tell her, "We need to seal the room, now." She nods and shrugs, asking what to use.

"Tierra. Natsu won't be able to burn through it and Juvia cant just wash it all away. It will keep this room secure." I say and she nods, then turns to the door's direction and yells, "Tierra Firma!" And hard dirt, almost bedrock hard, shoots out from hands and goes everywhere in the room where there is a wall, and I finish the combination yelling, "Tierra Carcel!" The dirt surrounds the entire room, adding another barrier to the room and securing us inside.

I look at Gōsuto and he nods and opens a shadow dimension right in front of us, saying, "Ok, Nena I need you to pour as much water as you can into this dimension, apparently Lumen is somewhat overheating right now. Now hurry, my dad is about to send it to us!" Nena nodded and put her hands out and yells, "Agua Lluvia!" and rain clouds came into his dimension and poured down rain, quickly flooding the dimension. "Good, now get ready because here comes Lumen. Oh shit! Here comes Zeref!" He said and quickly begin muttering the incantations necessary to fully link the dimensions and I turn to see Zeref running to us and putting his hands together.

'Fuck! We need to stall him for a minute!' "Nena! Give me some steel! Make that a lot of steel!" I yell at her and she nods, then yells, "Acero!" "Acero Carcel: Cien Millones Paredes!" I yell after her block of steel appears and it morphs into a prison similar to the last one, but now has one hundred million walls to help us stall him. I hunch over a bit, catching my breath as this spell was a big one and Nena is tired from creating a block that was big enough to create the prison.

"Gōsuto, ETA. That won't hold him for very long and I want Lumen here when he does get out." I look and can hear the walls falling very quickly now and I look back to Gōsuto and say, "Like I said, hurry!" 

"Thirty seconds!" He said and I looked back to hear that he was already close to getting out. "Twenty Seconds!" I look and see that the last wall is disappearing and Zeref is now visible to everyone, he looks very angry. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five…" Zeref sees us and forms hand signs and casts a spell yelling very angrily, "Rejection!" and a black wave comes towards us at a high speed. "Four!" The wave gets even closer and I'm not sure we're going to make it. "Three!" The wave is almost halfway to us and I begin to see my life flash before my eyes. "Two!" I see the wave three fourths of the way here and I see the memories of meeting Nena when we were younger, I see the memory of meeting Warrod and his care of us, the memory of seeing him leave, the memory of seeing La Empieza after Zeref had destroyed it, and lastly of finding out Nena was pregnant, and I closed my eyes knowing this was the end. "ONE!" I begin to apologize to everyone as the wave is within spitting distance and I see E.J.'s face in front of me, and a single tear drops down my cheek and I say my final apology for being a shitty father and never truly getting to know him and teach him magic like I promised. I wait fro death to embrace me but I feel nothing of the sort, instead I feel this eerie feeling that I always feel when I am around Lumen Historie. I open my eyes and see a bright light in front of me and is making its way to where Zeref was when he cast the spell.

'Gōsuto did it! Lumen is here!' the bright light stops suddenly and shines even brighter, blinding me for a moment before I hear a loud howl of pain. I can finally open my eyes and see that Lumen has engulfed Zeref and is doing something, then the light bursts one last time and goes throughout the room. I look back at Zeref after having had to cover my eyes and see that he is on the ground panting heavily, and I knew the plan had worked. Zeref was mortal again.

"Gōsuto, Nena! He's mortal again! Let's finish this, Nena come here! Gōsuto create an opening!" I yell and Nena runs over to me and I whisper to her, "Let's combine. This way we can attack even faster than before." I see Gōsuto concentrate for a moment and turn into a demon, then he roared and charged at Zeref, who was standing now, and he unleashed a flurry of attacks. Nena sees this too and nods, noticing like I did that Zeref was just dodging everything.

I take her hand and we yell in unison, "Fusión de Cuerpo: Naturaleza!" and then we became one. Literally and physically one as our bodies became one being made entirely of all the elements known to man, capable of doing both of our magic at once. We looked to Gōsuto and saw that he had Zeref dodging and not countering, so we entered their fray. We got in close and thought together, "Acero! Acero Espada!" and our hand became a sword of steel and we sliced at his side. We made contact and drew blood. He howled in pain and looked at his side, and then let out a blood-curling screech at the sight of his own blood. He had probably never seen his own blood in a very long time and was horrified by it.

He jumped away and we could tell he was nowhere near as strong as before as his jump was weak and a short one. We looked at him and then charged at him again, he put his hands up and yelled, "Rejection!" The black came at us again and this time we put out our hand that didn't have the sword and thought, "Tierra Escudo!" A shield appeared in place of our hand and blocked the wave from hitting us, but destroyed the shield and we quickly formed a new hand of element, getting rid of the last one. We looked and saw the surprise on his face, he hadn't thought it possible to have his attacks blocked and then he realized just how weakened he was now. We thought, "Acero Escudo!" and a new shield of iron formed, when it did we did not make it our hand instead using it like a regular shield. We charged at him and rammed into his shield and pushed him back a bit at the cost of the shield that he destroyed using his magic. 'According to plan then.' We thought as we had him in the interval between his spells and we swung the sword up, and it hit the mark.

It cut off the hand he had used to destroy the shield and was followed by a very loud howl of pain. He grabbed his wrists and blood was shooting out where there should have been a hand. He must have never thought this would have happened as he just stood there screaming in pain. We used his shock to close the distance and reached him a moment later. We stomped on the inside of his knee cap, breaking it which caused him to buckle at the knees and fall to the floor in a praying position.

He looked at us as we towered over him and he tried to grab us with his only hand, his right one, but we just thought, "Acero Cuchillo!" and a knife popped out from our thigh and hit his hand, using the spell up and allowing us to permanently handicap him. We swung down with the sword and cut the other hand off and got part of his arm as well, his arm now starting at the bend of where his elbow was. He yelled again and began to mumble somewhat coherently, "No no no no no! Wait! Please wait! I know I said I would kill you but if you let me leave here alive I'll let you live and never bother you again! I promise! PLEASE!"

He began to whimper and we had never felt more sadistic in our lives, we did not feel sorry for him but instead had to fight back the urge to laugh. We looked at him and said in a voice that sounded like a god's, "You destroyed our home, you killed our friends, you ruined our lives, and you want us to spare you? HA! We wouldn't even had considered it, you deserve to die. And die you shall. Right now in fact." And with those words we swung the sword horizontally and cut his head clean off, the head landing a few feet away. We backed away as his body slumped forwards and we thought, "Termina."

Our two bodies defused and we went back to being two separate beings, though two very tired beings. The spell we had just used fused our bodies together and was the second strongest spell we knew, just beneath the forbidden one. I was breathing heavily and sat down, my legs bent with my arms resting on them, and Nena fell face first on the ground, completely exhausted as we had gone all out for the first time in years.

Gōsuto was standing there, amazed by what we had just done and then we heard something odd: clapping. We all looked and saw everyone else standing there where the door was and Natsu said, "WELL DONE GUYS! YOU DID IT!" and led everyone in a cheer of us and they ran to where we were. The first one to arrive was Rai who quickly went to the man he called brother and helped him stand. Gōsuto must have been exhausted after having to create a shadow dimension link without telepathy and having to distract Zeref. Without him, we would have died for sure.

Then Natsu and surprisingly enough Lucy, who I assumed stayed since there was no danger to her anymore, reached us next and ran by us to look at Zeref. Then Juvia and Rogue arrived with Karr and Mern close behind and they began to help us up and congratulated us. I looked at Nena and smiled at her, and she reciprocated the smile and I knew we were both thinking the same thing, 'La Venganza si es muy dulce.' We both then fell asleep completely exhausted, but successful none the less.

(POV Change to Natsu)

I looked and saw the others carry the others away, off to get them medical attention and some much needed rest. I looked at Lucy and smiled at her, and said, "Well they did it. I can't believe it but they did it. The job is done now. Only one more thing to do and then we are scot free, but it will take some time." I said and she nodded and looked from Zeref to something farther away, something I couldn't even recognize. "Holy shit. That's Lumen Historie huh?"

Lucy nods and we walk over to it and examine it, I look away a moment later as it creeps me out. I can't even describe what it looks like, as it is something so alien that I can't even comprehend it. I look at Lucy who is busy puking and manage to look at it again, I notice it's still alive and I remember what the old scrolls Esoj showed me said. 'One thousand years for it to recharge huh? I will never have to worry about it again, but someone will. I wonder if I can just burn it up?' I stand up and point a finger that quickly catches on fire and shoots a ball of at Lumen. It hits Lumen and the thing lights on fire and burns up, but does not burn away and is now just slightly charred. 'Nope, it's truly immortal. Guess I'll have to hide it somewhere, or find a way to kill it. Or I could keep it and keep it locked away… Hmm, I guess for now that is the best option.'

I looked around and saw Gōsuto and Rai watching us and I motioned them over to us, they made their way slowly. "Hey Gōsuto, put Lumen back in you shadow dimensions for a bit. We're gonna keep it so no one else can use it ever again." I said and Gōsuto nodded, he opened a portal to his dimensions and put it inside one of them, immediately closing it so he didn't have to think about it anymore. I nodded to him and said, "Now do the same for Zeref's body, especially his head. The hands too, we'll just burn those later, but the head has a special final resting place. Luce, stop vomiting and get ready to leave, I need a very long nap." Lucy glared at me but did as I said and got up. Gōsuto had already placed the head and the body inside of his dimensions, and Rai had collected the hands and threw them inside of the dimensions. With their task complete they nodded to me and left the room, with Lucy behind them and me behind her.

I sighed and walked beside Lucy, throwing my arm around her shoulder and she let her head fall on my shoulder as we left the cave and looked around, seeing that Igneel was still there, waiting for us. We walked over to him and everyone was there, waiting for us to go home, Esoj and Nena unconscious but smiling in their sleep. I smiled as well and looked to Rai, the only person capable of teleportation who was not too tired and said, "Rai, teleport us home."

He nodded and in a blink of an eye we were gone, leaving the place where the world was saved and where The Black Mage had been killed. Good had won today, but we still had one more job to do: earn our freedom.

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**A/N: WHEW! I'm done! That was the longest chapter in the whole story and was the most fun to write! The end is near now, and here's how the week will most likely go, two or so chapters that will act as build up for the next five or so where we will the rematch between Fairy Tail and Ronin, and then one maybe two conclusion chapters. Then we are done. This story will most likely be done next week barring any setbacks. I hope you guys are excited, or sad, or mad, I don't really care as long as you feel some sort of emotion! Hahahah, well that is all my dear readers. Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Freedom

**A/N: Hello again people! As everyone can see, this chapter fifty! We made it! Fifty chapters! Who knew we would make it this far? Oh wait! I did! Hahahaha… uhem. Sorry I'm very weird… Well ignoring my outburst, I must give out some shout outs today, Kimmykim1137 and Godzilla327 for the follow and to Godzilla327 again for the favorite! Thanks guys and welcome to our community of readers! Now on with the chapter! ENJOY!**

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The Next Day (Natsu POV)

I walk down the halls of the mansion and whistle to myself, Lucy is walking next to me and sighs happily, "He's really dead huh? All these years of work and pain, they were finally rewarded, even though we may never see the rewards ourselves."

I looked at her and smiled, taking her hand and pulling her next to me, "Yeah, he really is. And we'll see the rewards, just you wait. Once we beat Fairy Tail again, we'll force them to let us be free, no longer criminals. I promise." I looked at her again and kissed her forehead lovingly.

She looked up at me and smiled, and got up on her tiptoes and kissed me on the lips. I returned her kiss and pulled her up off the ground, she responded by wrapping her legs around my waist. I prodded her lips with my tongue, seeking entrance to her mouth, which she readily complied with. I pulled back for air an looked in her eyes and saw the happiness that was in them, happy that we were together still and that we would be together forever.

But our moment was then ruined by a certain shadow mage who said, "Ugh, boss do you really need to make out with your wife wherever you go?" I turned quickly and saw Gōsuto standing there and I shot him a heated glare.

"What? Done banging Mei for the morning? Or are you on your way?" I asked and let Lucy down because of the squeal of embarrassment at being caught having a make-out session in the hallway.

Gōsuto laughed and just smiled at me, saying, "Kind of. I wanted to tell you something and ask you something." I looked at him confused and nodded my head, telling him to continue, "Well, ummm, I actually wanted to know if you knew how to make an engagement ring, and a really nice one too." He said nervously and Lucy gasped and was on the verge of squealing crazily, I still looked confused apparently as Gōsuto sighed and said, "Ugh, really? I'm going to ask her to marry you idiot!"

"OOOOOOH! Oh so that's why you asked me about the ring thing…" I said now understanding everything, Lucy smacked me upside the head for being so dense. "What? How was I supposed to know why he asked me about the ring was for him and Mei?"

"Because you just talked about them and he said he was talking about them! BAKA!" She said annoyed and now I was really mad at Gōsuto, 'Mother fucker. I was literally two more seconds from sex and now she's annoyed at me. Please, someone save me before I say something else.'

It would appear there is a god, as Rai came towards us and was yelling, "BOSS! Boss! There is some good news! The paper came out today, and look at the headline!"

He passed me the paper and I opened it, reading it aloud, _'The Black Mage is Dead! Yes people of Fiore, rejoice! The infamous dark mage, Zeref, is now officially dead! And the saviors of Fiore is known as well: the independent mage group called Ronin is to thanks!' _

'Wait? There giving us the credit we deserve? What is this? I thought they would just discredit it as us killing the wrong person or us turning into the next big threat.'

'_There leader, Natsu Dragneel is believed to be the one that actually finished the job, but the group also defeated all of Zeref's demons by themselves, all ten of them. Now before we had been told that Natsu Dragneel was the second coming of Zeref, a menace to all of Fiore and the world at large, but this is not the case. In fact, as it turns out, he was in cahoots with the council the whole time and has been pardoned of all crimes, including the murder of his former fellow guild members, Lisanna Strauss and Makarov Dreyar of Fairy Tail. The killings were waved off as, necessary losses as both were corrupt individuals who impeded the progress of justice.'_

The last line made me grip the paper tighter as in the case of Makarov it was a lie, his death had not been part of my plans. 'Lisanna needed to die. Makarov should have lived, if only he hadn't tried to Fairy Law. Then he would still be alive.'

'_The council declined to comment on the specifics of Dragneel's mission as it is classified, but do say that they have nothing but thanks for the Ronin. However, there is still one thing that must happen, the rematch of them and Fariy Tail and their allies in the guild coalition, which will take place in a little less than a year. The rematch will be a closed and private event, and the location is unknown but we all know that this time around it will be much closer as Laxus Dreyar and Jura Neekis have assured the council that in one year they will be strong enough to win. All that we can do is wait now, so stay tuned for the latest in this developing story.'_

I finish reading and scoff, saying, "The only thing that was even close to the truth was that we killed Zeref, and that we still have that rematch with the coalition. Everything else was bullshit."

"Yeah, but think about it Natsu! With this article we can use it as leverage when we win, and with it we can secure our freedom!" Lucy said and I thought about it, then realized she was right and a massive smile broke out on my face and I hugged her while cheering.

Gōsuto and Rai gave each other a hug between brothers and I told them both, "Go and get everyone, tell them to meet in the meeting room. Gōsuto are our people of the hour awake yet?"

"Not yet, but the nurse said probably later this morning, it's still pretty early." He said and I nodded.

"Ok, tell the nurse to relay the message and then get over to the meeting room. Rai find Tsume and have her and Virgo prepare us a celebratory meal, we will eat it in the meeting room. Now hurry it up." I said and the two nodded and we're about to leave when I remembered something and said, "Oh and Gōsuto. Yes I can do what you asked about."

He looked at me and had a stupid grin on his face, and said before running off, "THANKS BOSS!" He ran off and I could hear Rai asking what that was about, 'Boy that is gonna be an awkward conversation when he finally tells them.'

I turn to face Lucy and see her smiling softly at me, a smile I return while looking at her and pull her into a hug. I kiss her on the top of her head and say, "We finally are gonna be free again. Free to do as we please like in the old days. And free to raise that child properly." I rubbed her stomach and she placed her hand over mine, all three Dragneel's meeting at one place for the first time. And in that moment, I felt an inner peace I had not felt since this whole fiasco had started: I was truly happy once more.

(POV Change to Esoj)

I wake up and immediately groan very loudly, and shift in my bed causing the person next to me to mumble something about not moving. I cracked one eye open and saw Nena next to me, snoring lightly as she was now fully asleep again. I smiled and kissed her head, closing my eyes to relish this moment again and wish that it would never end. It did, but in the best way possible as I heard the door open and a child yell while climbing on top of the bed, and on top of me, "Daddy wake up! Uncle Natsu is looking for you!"

I open my eyes and look at the child and see the bundle of joy and the source of my happiness in E.J. jumping on top of me. I groan as he is a big boy in terms of height and therefore in terms of weight, and I say kindly, "Mmmm? E.J. what does Uncle Natsu want?" I shift a bit sitting up and holding his shoulders so he didn't move anymore, the movement however was maybe a bit much as my entire body protested from being so sore.

"He wants everyone in the meeting room to have a party! And he says you're the guest of honor! But you're late he said! So hurry!" He said and tried to move to his mother to wake her up but she put up her hand and sat up as well, giving him a good morning hug.

I blinked then remember why I'm so sore and I smile, the smile inhumanly big and I also begin to chuckle as well. "Ok, E.J.. Go tell Natsu we will be there soon, just need to get dressed. Oh and could you pass me the lacrima? I want to call uncle Rames."

E.J. nods and gives me a hug, saying, "I'm proud of you dad! You too mommy!" he got off the bed and gave me the lacrima, then ran off to find Natsu.

I turn to Nena and she looks at me, and then it hits her like a ton of bricks; she tears up and asks me, "Cabron… Did- did we really..?"

I grab her and pull her into the biggest hug I had ever given her and begin to cry myself, but the tears are tears of joy as I say, "YES! Yes it is all true! We did it Nena! We killed him! LO HICIMOS!" I yelled the last part and she began crying even harder now, still in disbelief that we had gotten our chance at revenge and had taken it. 'Seven years ago, when all this happened, I never thought we had a chance at finding him even. Let alone have a chance for revenge, but yet here we are. The duo that finished off the greatest threat to humanity ever. And the one who destroyed our home.'

I pulled back from her for a moment so I could look her in the eyes and she was smiling at me, happier than I had seen her in a while, not since we got married. She looked at me and took the lacrima and began tuning it, saying, "We need to tell Rames about this!" I nodded and looked at the lacrima intently, waiting for Rames to answer.

There was a small buzzing sound and then we heard a lot of people talking at once who were all quickly shushed by someone. "Hey, ese. Can you hear me ese?" I heard Rames call out.

"Yes Rames, I can hear you, as can Nena. Where are you?" I aksed confused by all the voices.

"La Empieza. Kurayami sent me back. What about you? Are you two alright, Tsume just told me to go home as fast as I could and Kurayami teleported us back somehow. Me and my wife at the same time, though he let E.J. hang back. What happened ese? Why did he send us back?" Rames asked and I couldn't help but grin.

"Rames turn the lacrima volume as high as you can and get El General over here." I said and then there was the sound of people shuffling.

Then El General asked over the lacrima, his voice exactly as I remembered, "What is it Esoj?"

I turned to Nena and she nodded, both of us turning and offering a salute that he couldn't see as we said in unison, "THE MISSION IS COMPLETE, SIR! WE HAVE SUCCEEDED IN KILLING THE ENEMY!"

There was silence on the other end before someone, Rames we guess, cheered loudly and then everyone in attendance at that meeting began yelling wildly. "Esoj, Nena, is it true? Did you actually kill him?"

"Yes sir. With our bare hands we killed him." I said still holding my salute and I could hear the cheer get even louder as everyone believed us, and we could hear people crying tears of joy.

"Esoj, Nena. The people of La Empieza thank you. We wish we were there to see everything but knowing that the revenge we sought is complete, we can all finally move on. Thank you, La Empieza is forever in your debt." El General said as people in the background were cheering and already drinking, happy that they could now live in true peace.

I looked at Nena and we both smiled as El General gave us a now barely audible goodbye and a talk to you later, and turned off the lacrima so he could celebrate. We both sighed and got up so we could go to the party, the two of us feeling as light as feathers, the man who had been weighing us down now dead. For us, now we were truly free.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: Sorry about the abrupt ending, but the party is next chapter and is gonna be part of a montage of events leading us to the rematch. Now for some badish news, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be done. It could be tomorrow, it could be Friday or even Saturday, I'm just not sure. I'm very busy over the next few days so I will update when possible. Now onto some business, I do remember promising you guys two one shots, and I want to know what you guys want out of these options: a background one shot of Nena and Esoj, an adventure one shot of Gray's year of training, the same as the last just with Gajeel and Levy, Natsu's lost years, or how Natsu and Lucy finally got together. I have an idea of how each should go but I want to know what you guys really want to see. So let me know somehow. ****Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	51. Chapter 51

**NOT AN UPDATE, Just need help with something. I NEED BABY NAMES! Natsu and Lucy are gonna be having there baby in the next chapter and I need name ideas! If I don't get any soon, I'm just naming the baby Nashi, since I saw an explanation for it that actually made a lot of since to me, but I hate being so generic. Give me name ideas quickly and then I can use the clear cut favorite quickly, or use a poll to decide, oh and by the way you guys are at eight or nine in the combination of ten so keep doing work! Oh and helper me decide which one shot storyline to use because that one shot is for you guys, as much as it is for me, so yeah, here are the options:: a background one shot of Nena and Esoj, an adventure one shot of Gray's year of training, the same as the last just with Gajeel and Levy, Natsu's lost years, or how Natsu and Lucy finally got together. Ok, bye now, Author out!**


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 51: A Year's Difference

**A/N: Hello there! First, shout out time! Today we have darkabys and EliXY following the story, new favoriters in EliXY and PalaDude234, and a review (Finally!) from sashaXmafuyuFOREVER! So I'm not sure when this will be posted as I am extremely busy and cannot devote all my time to this, so blame school not me. I hope you guys get excited because the next chapter is the beginning of the end, the beginning of the rematches! I'm so excited! I hope you guys are too, now onto the montage chapter! Warning! SPOILER VIA THE MANGA, WILL BE DENOTED BY **! ENJOY!**

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Same Day (Laxus POV)

I walked into the guild and look around, seeing just how empty it looked, matching the mood of the guild. 'Damn, who would have thought that three people leaving would change so much...'

I walk over to Mira and ask her, "Why is everyone so down?"

She looks at me and sighs, and says, "Have you read the morning paper?" I shake my head and look at her confused, so she hands me the paper and says, "I'd read that in your office."

I looked at her and was now even more confused but did as she suggested and went to my office and sat down. Just as I did Olive came in and sat down next to me, pulling up a chair and asked me, "What's up with everyone? They look like they saw a puppy get bisected and eaten in front of them."

"Ok, one, are you pregnant again because your only that weird when your pregnant, and two I'm not sure. Mira said it has something to do with the morning paper." I said and opened it up and immediately saw the headline article.

'_The Black Mage is Dead! Yes people of Fiore, rejoice! The infamous dark mage, Zeref, is now officially dead! And the saviors of Fiore is known as well: the independent mage group called Ronin is to thanks!' _

I stopped reading and looked at Olive and her expression said everything, 'Is this thing for real? Did Natsu and Lucy actually kill Zeref?' I kept reading aloud, and saw Freed who had shown up later than usual walk in after hearing what I said.

'_There leader, Natsu Dragneel is believed to be the one that actually finished the job, but the group also defeated all of Zeref's demons by themselves, all ten of them. Now before we had been told that Natsu Dragneel was the second coming of Zeref, a menace to all of Fiore and the world at large, but this is not the case. In fact, as it turns out, he was in cahoots with the council the whole time and has been pardoned of all crimes, including the murder of his former fellow guild members, Lisanna Strauss and Makarov Dreyar of Fairy Tail. The killings were waved off as, necessary losses as both were corrupt individuals who impeded the progress of justice.'_

"WHAT?! THOSE BASTARDS! FREED GET OUR STRONGEST MAGES READY WE'RE GOING TO ERA AND KILLING THIS COUNCIL!" I yelled and threw the paper up in the air, needing to be restrained by Freed's runes before I did something really stupid.

Freed held me in place as Bickslow came in, bursting through the doors holding a letter. It had the magic council seal and I took it, after Freed released me from his runes, and read it aloud, _'To all guild mages, this article posted in today's paper is all true except for the part of us working with Natsu. We used his success against Zeref as a chance to gain publicity for being part of the solution for Zeref, do not lose heart nor believe this article. That is all.'_

I relaxed now, knowing it was all a publicity stunt, but was still mad at them for sullying the Dreyar name. I picked up the paper's pages and found the last little piece of the article and read it aloud.

'_The council declined to comment on the specifics of Dragneel's mission as it is classified, but do say that they have nothing but thanks for the Ronin. However, there is still one thing that must happen, the rematch of them and Fariy Tail and their allies in the guild coalition, which will take place in a little less than a year. The rematch will be a closed and private event, and the location is unknown but we all know that this time around it will be much closer as Laxus Dreyar and Jura Neekis have assured the council that in one year they will be strong enough to win. All that we can do is wait now, so stay tuned for the latest in this developing story.'_

I finished reading and sat back down, sighing deeply as I looked everyone gathered seeing there look of concern on their faces. "Freed, go and find Erza and Jellal, we need to talk about some things, and Bickslow, go and make sure everyone in this guild sees that letter and knows to keep quiet about it. Olive, you can stay as I will need your help with scheduling." I said and put some monthly calendars out along with some pens on my desk, throwing some paperwork aside.

"Scheduling what?" Olive asked as Freed and Bickslow ran off like the obedient followers they had always been, doing the tasks they had been assigned.

"Scheduling the guild wide training regiment, we need to be ready and need to win. The council may not believe in us, like the paper said, but that will just be our motivation. Now come over here and help me decide just how often I can schedule training that won't interrupt everyone's need to do missions so they can have money to survive." I said and Olive looked at me, pleasant surprise on her face at how serious I was taking my job as master and how dedicated I sounded to achieve victory over Natsu. 'And just how badly I want to win as well.' I thought to myself as Erza and Jellal came in and I ushered them to where we were, hunched over the calendars trying to figure all of this out.

Two Months Later (Erza POV)

I charge at the numerous people in front of me and requip into my new armor, yelling, "Heaven's Wheeled Spike!" and two wheel like swords appear, blades adorning every inch of it. I spun the one in my right hand and pressed a button, the button caused a blade to shoot out and strike one enemy in the heart. Then I used the one in my left hand like a shuriken and threw it at two enemies who were dead ahead of me, and held onto a string that was coming from it. When they both side stepped to avoid the wheel sword, I pulled the string and two blades popped out from it, plunging into their abdomens. The wheel sword comes back to me since I had pulled it's string and not a moment too soon as two enemies came at from both sides. I swung upwards with the swords and, as they are still swords, cut open a massive gash starting at their navel and ending at their chin, finishing off the group of enemies.

"Damn it Erza! Those were my favorite life like babies! They were expensive too!" Bickslow yelled as he and Laxus walked forward from where they had been watching, evaluating my progress.

**SPOILERS VIA MANGA, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK UNLEES YOU READ THE LATEST CHAPTERS!**

I sighed and looked at them, seeing that both were pleased with the progress I had made in such a short amount of time. Then it hit me and suddenly I was blind again, could not hear again, could not smell again, could not feel again, I couldn't even taste the sweat dripping down my face. "Guys help! It's happening again!" I yelled and Jellal who had been walking over started running over knowing what was wrong with me, like everyone who was around for Tartarus did.

"Erza sit down and relax, just take deep breaths and relax, it will pass. I'm here, don't worry it will pass." Jellal said soothingly and I calmed, knowing he was right.

'Damn that Kyouka and those demons, but especially her! She destroyed my five senses temporarily and now it's a thing! I have to find a way to control this thing or I will be useless in the battles. Although, it is the first time in a week so that is a positive.' Then as if a switch was turned on in my brain, I regained my five senses and looked at Jellal, and said, "It's ok now sweety, I can see again. Laxus, other than my little episode, how was that?"

** SPOILER OVER**

"Tch, it was alright, all you did was beat up on inanimate objects, nothing to gloat or write home about." He said and I sighed, 'He's right. I need to find a big long job that has a lot of enemies to fight, and high level enemies too. I need to stay sharper than sharp.' Then I realized he wasn't done talking and was waiting for me to look at him, asking, "Can you hear me?" I nodded my head and stood up, looking him in the eye now, "Ok, well before you started day dreaming, I was about to tell you that I have the perfect opportunity to change the enemy a bit, a chance to fight real enemies. There has been mumblings of an old enemy rising up again: Eisenwald. I want these rumors checked out now, and if you and Jellal run into any trouble, terminate the trouble. Understood?"

I thought I was dreaming, a chance to fight and to kick someone's ass who annoyed me? Perfect. Then I was brought back into the reality we live in by Freed running towards us, holding a poster in his hands. "Guys, you need to see this."

He put the paper between all of us and we read it and groaned loudly, knowing that we shouldn't have let him leave. The poster said, _'Missing: Juvia Fullbuster-Lockser. Last seen two and a half months ago in Magnolia, looks like the woman in the picture and has blue hair with blue eyes, and a guild mark on her left thigh. If you have seen her, please contact Gray Fullbuster, her husband on lacrima frequency…'_

"God damn it. I knew he was too much of a mess to let go alone! Freed call him and find out where he is, knowing him he's probably in jail for public nudity. Then send someone to him and make sure he or she stays with him from then until a year later when he comes back. Erza get ready and go your mission is still a go. Bickslow see if Gajeel is near to him and have him and his family travel with Gray." I could tell something was different about Laxus now, he sounded like master Makarov did when he was alive.

I nodded to him and turned to leave, needing to pack and get ready. I smiled the whole way home, finally feeling ready to let go everything that had happened, 'Fairy Tail finally has a new master, and his name is Laxus. He really has grown up to be a true Dreyar, I feel like things are looking up finally.'

One Month Later (Laxus POV)

I was breathing heavily, as was Jura who had come to visit and then of course to spar. We were both getting stronger, but his back was beginning to hold him back as was his age, he was becoming like Gildarts. 'Strong yes, but old and slower than before. His back is really slowing him down, I'm not sure my plan of him taking Lucy and me Natsu would work anymore, he's getting so slow.'

"Hey Jura, I think that's good for now. Come on, I think dinner should be ready." I said and he nodded, and we walked out of the room and up the stairs to my office and I shut the door behind us to the new training room. The room that originally held Lumen Historie, the room of my greatest failure as master.

"Hey Laxus-dono, what was in there before? I sense a lot of strange things were in there before and it creeps me out." Jura asked and I flinched at the question, not knowing how to answer that.

"Just tell him Laxus, it's ok. He can know since Natsu used it to help kill Zeref, he wouldn't be able to use it now." Mavis said and I stiffened even more, not sure how to proceed.

Luckily, I was saved by Freed who came in and saw how tense I was and how curious Jura looked. "Umm, am I interrupting something?"

"No what is it?" I asked quickly, changing the subject so I could no longer have to squirm around.

Freed looked at me and nodded, turning towards me and saying, "Well, we have received word from Erza, she has successfully completed her mission and her and Jellal are making their way home. And there was an article on her in this morning's paper, here."

He handed me the paper and I looked at it, seeing it was already open to the article I read aloud, _'Fairy Tail Defeats Eisenwald, Again! Yes the strongest of all the legal guilds in Fiore, Fairy Tail has defeated the dark guild Eisenwald again. Their first victory over Eisenwald came over fourteen years ago by a similar group of mages, at least in composition. Erza Fernandes, originally the famous Erza Scarlet, and her husband Jellal Fernandes defeated the entire guild by themselves. Yes, just the two of them defeated an entire guild by themselves, which is less than the first time they did so when Erza led a team made up of the now superhero Natsu Dragneel, his wife Lucy Dragneel, formerly Heartiphilia, and Gray Fullbuster. They defeated them in a much more flamboyant way the first time, but this time it was done with precision. They fought them in a more discreet way, slowly dwindling their members down until there was only guild ace "Shinigami" Erigor, and their master, whose name has been lost to time. They defeated those two with ease, ending their hopes of victory in less than ten minutes, according to eyewitnesses. It seems that whatever training Fairy Tail has been doing for their rematch with Ronin is working, as clearly demonstrated by Erza and Jellal Fernandes. In other mage news…'_

"Well I'll be, she is more like her old self than I thought, in less than one month she finished off an entire guild, much like the Ronin did with us. Probably got the idea of how to deal with them from them. Freed tell her to come straight home so we may talk about her success and tell her that she better be ready to turn up her training regiment again. Dismissed." I said and I turned to Jura to tell him we should eat, but I noticed the lack of footsteps by Freed, so I turned and saw that he was in fact still there, "Something else I should know?"

"Yes, but this is a bit more of a sensitive topic." He said and I knew he meant that Jura shouldn't hear about this, so I looked at Jura and motioned for him to leave. He did and bowed to us both, as soon as he closed the door behind him I motioned for Freed to sit and we both sat down. He sighed a bit as he saw Mavis, getting used to her appearances there, and he said, "We have a problem. We have been trying to contact Gajeel but have not been able to do so, and have gotten a report like he promised he would send every week since last month. Even Gray has been sending in his reports, we just can't find him anywhere."

I leaned back in my chair and began rubbing my head, 'Fuck. I get Gray not being found, but Gajeel being lost? That doesn't make sense, Jiji said I could trust him to do any sort of mission for me, but now I can't even find him? And he has Levy, Lily, and Joi with him, I can't begin to wonder what happened to them if something happened to him.' It was then Gramps decided to appear and make his presence known as he said, "Damn these brats, causing trouble even when I'm dead."

"Now, now. Third, that is no way to talk about fellow guild members, I trust in this Gajeel from what you have told me of him and I trust in his judgment. There is no need to worry about him, but Gray does cause me to feel uneasy. Is there really no way to find him?" Mavis interjected, scolding Gramps and asking us a question, 'She would be a damn scary mother. Always smiling, even when she's mad, not to mention the fact that she is pretty much bipolar in that anything will make her cry.'

Freed sighed as the search for Gray was his mission to lead and coordinate, and he said, "No, all attempts to find him have been futile, even Gildarts and Cana couldn't do it and they know him the best. Other than Juvia did when she alive. If she were alive she would know where he is, she was a pretty good stalker as we all know."

"Yeah but sadly, she is no longer alive. Freed is there really no other ideas of how we can find him?" I asked and looked at Freed who began to think, unsure of anything now thanks to how frustrating this had been.

Then surprisingly enough it was Gramps who answered my question, "What about his 'brother' Lyon? Would he not have some ideas?"

"Sadly he has already tried to help him find her and help him through it, but couldn't find him." Freed said and we all sighed, annoyed by Gray.

"Well, trying to rack our brains while on an empty stomach won't help, so let's go eat. Jiji, Mavis, you are welcome to come with us and watch Maks while we eat, but I'm leaving. We can always try again in the morning, but for now we will just need to have faith in them." I said and looked at everyone who smiled at me, probably because I sounded like Gramps did when he was alive, always believing in his brats. I stood as Freed did and everyone left and went home, certain that everything will be ok.

One Month Later

I walk up to bar and see everyone in pretty good spirits and I see Olive and Mira talking and laughing about something Maks did. Then Freed ran up to me and pulled me aside, and I looked at him like he was crazy. "Oi, where's the fire?" I asked and Freed looked at me, and I saw how nervous he was and I looked at him even more confused now.

"The guild has been infiltrated, it happened last night." He said and I suddenly understood his nervousness, and he continues, "I felt my rune barrier go off last night and the only way to get past it and not be paralyzed as they neared the guild is to have a guild mark. There are only six people who we have not seen who bear the guild mark: Lucy, Juvia who's dead, Gajeel, Levy, Joi, Pantherlily, and Gray. Since Gray and Gajeel have gone dark that eliminates them, leaving only one person who could be the culprit."

"Lucy." I finished for him and he nodded and I groaned, "Of course it had to be the one who was an espionage expert, able to fool people with her superior intellect. Can you runes tell us who it was to confirm it?"

"Yes, and I checked, but there's a problem. It said unidentified guild member did it, we weren't able to catch the person fast enough it seems." He said and I groaned again, 'Fuck Lucy and Natsu. They are a pain in my ass and I can't even stop them, UGH!'

I looked around and spotted Erza and yelled, "ERZA! Come here!" She looked up and saw me, then made her way to me with Jellal in tow. "Erza I need you to take whoever you deem trustworthy and search Magnolia for someone who has a guild mark. It seems that someone came here last night but we couldn't identify who it was, the rune barrier couldn't recognize them. It recognizes all guild members so we don't have another spy problem, but we need to find out who broke in last night and why."

She nodded her head and told Jellal to find Gildarts and Mira, and soon enough the quartet was off, looking for a ghost in a haunted graveyard. Or really a specific needle in a needle stack, I knew they had almost no chance to find the person but we had to try. I sighed and told Freed, "Get Bickslow and tell him what happened, then have him use his dolls as guards at night from now on so we can always have eyes on this place." Freed nodded and went off to find him, and I went up to my office, to the training room really, I needed to blow off some steam.

Five Months Later

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" I yelled and a massive wave of lightning hit the wall, and blew it up. I shielded my eyes from the flying rubble that came flying at me, and when I felt the wall's rubble stop hitting me I looked and saw that I had opened up a hole so big I hit the bedrock underneath the sewers. "Wow sparky, nice. That's gonna cost a fortune to rebuild and a helluva a nice and remorseful apology to the mayor. Honestly, you need to find an open area to train." Olive said as she had been watching me with Maks, who was clapping at my magic and strength.

"Whatever, you worry too much. See Maks approves! Isn't that right my big strong boy?" I said and picked up Maks, who smiled at me and was still clapping.

"Dada!" He said, and I was proud that at the fact that he could say my name so perfectly.

"Yes, dada! See Olive, why can't you be like him? So impressed by my everything?" I said and Olive rolled her eyes at me and smiled, she gave my arm a light tap and we all laughed, it was her way of saying she was impressed.

The Freed came running down and was holding a lacrima, "Master, we have found Gajeel! Well more like he finally called in! Here, he wants to talk to you."

He passed me the lacrima and I took it, ripping it from his hands as I yelled at Gajeel, "WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

"Oi, language! There is still a kid here with me you know!" Gajeel yelled back and I glared heated daggers at him through the lacrima, but he just sighed and said, "Listen, we had to go off the grid for a while. We were looking for something and we finally found it. Listen, we found out that they did in fact use Lumen Historie, but they kept it after they used it. Don't ask how I know about Lumen, the old man told me about it. But then we tried to find out just where exactly they took it and we finally got that information: they took it with them after their battle with Zeref and took it to their base. Which we found. It's in this city of high middle class people called Naito, it's near the center of Fiore." He said and I nodded, not saying anything because I knew that wasn't all of his story, "I tried to find out exactly where in the city they are hiding out in, but these people fucking love them, treat them like gods. They saw my guild mark and suddenly I was a pariah and was chased out of the city. Got separated from Metalicana too, and that was a month ago. We stayed under the radar to avoid any issues with the people in Naito but found nothing at all, so we are heading back."

For some odd reason, I felt like he wasn't telling the truth, his story had seemed rushed and like information was withheld from me. But I knew if he wasn't telling me something, it was for a good reason so I sighed and said, "Ok, just come back soon, it's close to go time and we want everyone back soon so we can plan everything. Speaking of people who need to come back, have you heard from or actually seen Gray in your travels?"

He sighed at the question and said, "No, I haven't. I honestly don't even know if we can rely on him to show up for the battle, I have heard some things about him. Some say he's gone crazy, others say he's become like a hardened criminal. I personally don't buy any of it but whatever. I'll be back in one month, I still have somethings to do, like finding Metalicana. I gotta go, I'll check in more regularly from now, Gajeel out."

The lacrima turned off and I sighed, unable to shake the feeling that he was lying and withholding stuff from reaching my ears. I turned to Freed and said to him, "Get all the guilds who will be sending a mage for the coalition to prepare their mages to come in one month. That is when we will be ready." Freed nodded and went off to call everyone necessary and I walked to my office, preparing myself for the battle I had been looking for.

Three Months Later

'Today is the day, today I get my revenge.' I paced around the front of the guild, the mages who will fight behind me: Sting, Jura, Lyon, Freed, Bickslow, Gildarts, Gajeel, Erza, Jellal, Cobra, and Richard. 'So few capable fighters… gods how depressing. Where the fuck is Gray? I swear, the moment I'm decking him.'

I paced a bit more before I looked over the horizon and saw someone coming our way. I knew who it was based on the build of the person and I called out to the person, "GRAY!" He looked up and saw us, then walked a bit faster and walked up to me, at which I punched him squarely in the jaw like I said I would. Then everyone came and held me back, and held him back as he was mad now. I looked at him and saw that he had a new scar on his face, running down the right side of his face making his unusually hard demeanor even harder. "Where the fuck have you been? You know who gives us a fuck about that, what have you been doing all this time? Huh? You made yourself look like a fool and then you don't answer our calls? What too big and cool to let us know where you are, or even let us help? HUH?"

"Shut the fuck up! I know she's not dead! I know it but no one seems to get it! I know she is alive! And I don't have to fucking tell you everything I do, I'm not your fucking kid!" Gray shot back and was ready to freeze his teammates off of him, but thought better of it and instead just threw them off. "Fuck you right now, I have been training my ass off and I was looking for my wife. I have every reason to go dark! I am dark now! Did you really think I just thought she was actually dead? Hell no! I know she is out there somewhere but I came back because I made a promise, not because I wanted to."

I couldn't believe my ears, was this really the Gray who I had watched grow up? But I never got the chance to counter his claims as suddenly a massive arena came crashing down, right in front of our guild. It was bigger than the first arena and I saw what looked like doors on it, and my jaw dropped. There were nine doors and they had signs above them, but none of them said anything, no names or symbols, just blank wood. I groaned as this wasn't part of our plans and I looked at everyone gathered, and said, "Jura, our plan just got fucked. I say we just go in our groups or go solo if you were told to do so. Agree?"

"Agree, everyone, go!" Jura said and we all charged at a door, and I picked the smallest one, thinking and hoping Natsu would go the inconspicuous route. 'Time to show everyone what one year of training can do. Natsu, you better be here, or else I'm just gonna find you and kill you. Time to get my revenge!'

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**A/N: I hate the way this ended. I tried for ten hours to get this right but I just couldn't. This was after the fact that I saw you guys do some good work yesterday! Thanks to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for the review and baby names, which at this point are the leaders for the baby's name, and to beareagle13 for favoriting the story. In case you noticed, no there is no Natsu and company POV's here as you guys reached ten again! So I decided to split up this chapter into two, instead of giving you guys two chapter at once. That would have meant giving you guys a fighting chapter and those chapters will each get their own day. Yup, starting Monday the fights start and there will be way more than I thought of these fighting chapters though. THERE WILL BE TEN OF THEM! You'll see why soon enough, but remember I still need your help deciding something,**** I do remember promising you guys two one shots, and I want to know what you guys want out of these: a background one shot of Nena and Esoj, an adventure one shot of Gray's year of training, the same as the last just with Gajeel and Levy, Natsu's lost years, or how Natsu and Lucy finally got together. I have an idea of how each should go but I want to know what you guys really want to see. So let me know somehow. ****Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 52: The Time Has Come

**A/N: Hello there people! Not much to say except for a quick to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for the review. Hope everyone enjoys the new chapter like they do their weekends! ENJOY!**

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Same Day as Start of Last Chapter (Natsu POV)

I watch as the door opens and reveals a very rested Anoren family, yes the entire family finally, and everyone including me cheered. They looked at us and smiled and everyone began to give them pats on the back, gave them hugs, and even gave them the first drink of the day courtesy of the local liquor super store who knew who exactly we were. In fact we had gotten all sorts of gifts from people all around town, ranging from money to food to clothes to a girl asking to marry Rogue or be his sex slave even. The last one made us all laugh at poor Rogue who sent her away looking like a big tomato at the embarrassment of it all. But the more legitimate gifts were being put to good use as the furniture of the meeting room was now gone and the only thing left was a table with all the food and drinks on it. The money was immediately taken to our private vault and put away for later use, like a honeymoon and baby stuff.

I looked at Esoj as he came up to me, Nena and Gōsuto with him. I gave him a hug and told the three of them as I hugged each of them, "Thank you guys, you really did me a huge and unforgettable service. You believed in me when no one else did, when I was the outcast who was more hated than even Zeref. You guys knew I was innocent and listened to me and helped me achieve my goal, Zeref is dead and he will no longer be able to ruin anymore lives."

They all smiled at me and Esoj was the first one to say something, "No Natsu, thank you. Without you and Lucy, we would never have had the chance to avenge those we lost to Zeref, we would have just ended up being dead probably. We would never have Lumen Historie, and without it, we would never have been able to kill Zeref. Thank you. And while I know it wasn't on purpose, thank you for allowing us to fight Zeref and kill him ourselves, it meant a lot to us. And know this, I think you could have killed him even without Lumen Historie's help. He was weaker than I had thought and was much easier to kill than I thought."

I looked at him and smiled, saying, "Yeah maybe. Depends on if what Mern told me was true, that all these years alive but never having to fight at his best had made him duller than before. I know it would have been easy for me, but you guys were amazing! I felt your combination spell, where you became one person, and that was a strong person! He would have given me a run for my money, and if I wasn't careful it probably would have killed me."

Hearing this made them smile, and Nena said, "I'm not so sure, your pretty ridiculous as is Lucy, I don't know if it would have been enough. But whatever the case we wish to thank you and let you know we are forever in your debt if there is anything you need or want us to do, let us know."

Gōsuto nodded confirming the same were to be said of him, and then it was Lucy who spoke, surprising me as I thought she had been talking to Juvia, "Natsu have you told anyone what we decided to do?"

I blinked and remembered what that thing was, and a smile broke out on my face as I ran to the front of the room where the tables were with the food and said as loudly as I could, "Ok, everyone! Come to the table so we can enjoy the feast!" Everyone stopped talking and made their way to the table and looked at me as I had not sat down just yet. Then they found out why I had not yet, "Ok everyone, before we eat I have an important announcement to make! As you all know, we have agreed to a deal with the council, win and we all are to do as we please, and Luce and I have decided what we are going to do." I paused for effect and waited a moment longer before finishing, "We have decided to change Ronin into something else, we have decided to make Ronin an official guild! We offer entry and membership into this guild when it is formed in one year's time, but want to know of your decision today so we can plan. Now there is no need to decide right now, instead take all of today's feast to decide and then let us know. Now let's eat!"

I sat down and everyone else stood up and smiled at me, then in unison said, "WE WANT IN!" I looked at them in surprise before Juvia said, "Juvia's sorry, but I heard Natsu-san and Lucy-san discussing this earlier and Juvia could not contain her excitement!"

I laughed at her admission and looked at everyone, asking them all, "Are you guys sur…"

That was all I was able to say before they all interjected and yelled, even old man Kurayami and the young brats in E.J. and Raito said, "YES!" And then Esoj added, "But only if you are the guild master."

I looked at them and smiled, as they all awaited my answer and I gave them it soon after, "Of course I will." They all cheered and began patting me on the back and telling me congratulations on the great idea of mine, but I stopped them from giving me the credit and told everyone, "Guys this wasn't my idea. It was Luce's, she saw everyone here like a family member to her and wanted us to stay this way, and I agreed. You guys have become my new family, and I am glad that you have as I don't think I would have ever found one if not for you guys. When I was forced out I lost all belief in the family concept, and sure Luce helped me find it partially but you guys have brought it back to life. You guys have re-forged me into a man who puts family above all else, so I thank you and am forever in your debt." I bowed and everyone gave an 'Aw' at my admission, giving me hugs and saying thank you for letting them do this for me.

I shushed them and said, "Now we obviously still have a lot to plan for and train for, but first let us have our first meal as an official family and unofficial guild!" Everyone took their seats and grabbed their chopsticks, then in unison we yelled, "ITADAKIMASU!" And for the first time in five years, I felt like I was among my family, and I felt the inner peace that the feeling brought.

Two Months Later

I walked through the hallways and saw Lucy, talking to Juvia and Juvia looked puzzled by something while Lucy looked concerned. "What's wrong?" I asked the girls and they looked at me, realizing I had come near them.

"This." Juvia said and handed me a black and white poster and my eyes bulged out of my eye sockets, or at least it felt that way, _'Missing: Juvia Fullbuster-Lockser. Last seen two and a half months ago in Magnolia, looks like the woman in the picture and has blue hair with blue eyes, and a guild mark on her left thigh. If you have seen her, please contact Gray Fullbuster, her husband on lacrima frequency…'_

I stopped reading at looked at Lucy before laughing and looking at Juvia, saying, "Wow, what a terrible excuse for an ex-husband you have. Look, the poster dates are all wrong, the calendar in the meeting room says X799, not X798 but yet he still thinks it is. Unless he thinks that by doing this he will trick you into coming back to him so he can just use you for sex like before. Yup that's all he thought of you, as a real life sex toy used for his convenience. Told me so himself, the bastard." I looked at Juvia shaking my head and saw the anger behind her eyes, but knew they were directed at a certain ice mage and not me. "So, if you ever see anyone looking for you, know that it is all a lie and that you should not believe them, ok? Oh and dye your hair so people don't think it's you and try to capture you for whatever Gray has worked out for them, ok?"

She bought the ruse and sighed, saying, "Yes Natsu-san, thank you for telling Juvia the truth, Juvia was concerned for a moment that you might have lied to Juvia, but Juvia knows that would never be the case, we are family!" She said and walked away but I could tell her thoughts went back to Gray as her mood dampened and I could feel the anger she felt towards Gray, and the sadness at being told she was just a thing for the man she had married.

My heart broke at having lied to her, telling her such vile things as I had done, and I looked to Lucy, saying quietly so no one heard us, "I know you know what your doing, and that we are way too far into this to tell her the truth, but do we really need to do this?" She looked at me blankly, nodding slightly but not with as much conviction as before but here told me the truth, she wanted Gray to feel pain and to suffer. I sighed and pulled her into a hug so that her back face my stomach and I put my chin on her head , saying, "I hope you know what your doing, but regardless if you do, I trust you to the end of the earth. And I also feel that your baby bump is forming, five more months and the baby will be here huh?"

She smiled and turned around, kissing me on the lips and giving me her thanks, and I picked her up and carried her to our room, so she could really show me how thankful she was. She did so for the next few hours, well into the night and the next morning only stopping for food, sleep, and well that's it because we showered together. But this would be the last time for a while as I can be rather rough during sex and since the baby bump is being formed I don't want to hurt the baby. But I didn't mind, I was with my family and about to have my first child, I couldn't be happier.

One Month Later

I yawn and look at Lucy and see she is still sleeping peacefully, snoring ever so lightly making her look so beautiful. The way she breathed accentuating how her face would scrunch up all cutely, the way her lips were now always in a smile making me feel like those five years never even happened. She looked like an angel, with how peaceful she looked and how beautiful she already was. Not wanting to wake said angel and incur her wrath, I slowly removed myself from her side and slowly got up from bed. I tiptoed over to the nightstand and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, writing down that I was going on a morning run after meeting with Karr, as he had just gotten back from checking in on Eisenwald.

'Ah the memories, back when I was still so young and naïve about everything. I wonder if Erigor is still there, and if so is he any stronger? Probably not. No one really has, they all stayed in neutral really. Damn shame too, people with potential who never realize it are just lazy in my eyes, like Wendy. Damn she had some potential but she never even came close to realizing and now she never will. Too traumatized by Gōsuto to be a proper mage anymore, now she will be like Porlyusica without the hating humans thing.' I sigh sadly thinking about how sad her story now is, but none the less keep going until I see Karr who is waiting for me outside the meeting room.

"Hello there Karr. How did your mission go? Eisenwald really back again?" I asked him and he looked at me, then handed me the morning paper, smirking about it.

"Open to page three, you'll see the answer to your question there." He said and so I opened the paper and read the article, eyes going wide as I saw what it was, _'Fairy Tail Defeats Eisenwald, Again! Yes the strongest of all the legal guilds in Fiore, Fairy Tail has defeated the dark guild Eisenwald again. Their first victory over Eisenwald came over fourteen years ago by a similar group of mages, at least in composition. Erza Fernandes, originally the famous Erza Scarlet, and her husband Jellal Fernandes defeated the entire guild by themselves. Yes, just the two of them defeated an entire guild by themselves, which is less than the first time they did so when Erza led a team made up of the now superhero Natsu Dragneel, his wife Lucy Dragneel, formerly Heartiphilia, and Gray Fullbuster. They defeated them in a much more flamboyant way the first time, but this time it was done with precision. They fought them in a more discreet way, slowly dwindling their members down until there was only guild ace "Shinigami" Erigor, and their master, whose name has been lost to time. They defeated those two with ease, ending their hopes of victory in less than ten minutes, according to eyewitnesses. It seems that whatever training Fairy Tail has been doing for their rematch with Ronin is working, as clearly demonstrated by Erza and Jellal Fernandes. In other mage news…'_

I looked at Karr and he looked at me, then we both laughed, the article might have been overstating things. I asked him in between fits of laughter, "Did you see the final fight?" he nodded so I asked him, "What did you think? Strong or not?"

He calmed down for a second and said, "In between really. Her husband is stronger than her, I'd say strong enough that the two of them together could beat Mern or Rai. But it would take every last bit of their strength to do it, and that isn't a very strong could, I'm not sure about it. Juvia or Rogue could beat them too in actuality I just don't really know enough. But that Erigor dude was not that strong as the paper made him out to be, he was nowhere near being as scary as a shinigami."

I nodded, for a second wondering who should fight them before deciding it really didn't matter, as long as it wasn't Karr who was too old to fight them. 'Maybe in his glory days, but not anymore. Too many miles and battles and drinks on that body to fight them properly. I'll just give him Richard, since Cobra is still a dragon slayer after all.'

Then Karr obviously remembered something he, because he said, "Oh, wait. There was something I overheard those two talking about. They said something about not having heard anything from Redfox and Fullbuster, like they lost contact with them or something."

'Huh? They lost contact with them? How, aren't they still at the guild?' I looked at Karr and tilted my head, and asked him, "What do you mean 'lost contact'? Aren't they still at Fairy Tail?"

"No actually, according to my sources, Redfox and his family left with his dragon to train and Fullbuster left and is hunting for…" He suddenly got quieter and looked around, making sure Juvia was nowhere nearby, and finished, "He's hunting for Juvia, looking everywhere he can. I can always go looking for him if necessary and keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't come near here."

"No that won't be necessary, just don't tell anyone that he is looking for her, we don't need any drama here." I said and stood upright, and nodded at him asking, "Anything else?"

"Nope. That's it. Need anything else from me?" Karr asked and I thought about it for a moment.

Then an idea came to mind and I smirked slyly, "Karr, go and find Juvia for me, would you? I have a mission for her and only she can do it." He nodded and went off to find Juvia and I thought to myself, 'Time to see if she has been taking her training seriously or not.' I smirked knowing she probably did and that this was going to be a lot of fun.

One Month and Two Weeks Later

"Ok, come at me!" I say and then three different spells come flying at me, I dodge one of them and deflect another one with my hand, redirecting it at the last one and they collide in mid air. But the spells were a diversion, as two people appear out of nowhere and try to land a hit on me.

'One from the left and one from behind, the one on my left is closer, so I'll deal with him first. Oh, and the third is coming from above, I can sense it. But they are trying to stagger attacks, so it works to my advantage.' I turn to my left and catch the fist coming at me in my hand and punch the body it comes from, more specifically the head. The person staggers back a bit and I grab the person by their outstretched arm and throw them at the person who was behind me. They collide and I pounce on them, yelling, "Fire Dragon's Double Iron Fists!", my fists both light on fire and I punch downwards, hitting them. They both get buried in the ground, small craters forming from the blow, and I turn my attention to the person in the air. I can see the person now and I smirk at them, and jump up to where they are surprising them. I say, "Gotcha.", and punch them, fists on fire, and land a flurry of blows to their stomach. I finish my assault with my usual finisher, yelling, "Fire Dragon's Roar!" and it hits, sending the person crashing to the ground.

"Natsu! Restraint! We are training here, not trying to kill! Remember these people are your family! Everyone else… Really? Not even a graze on him? Come on." Lucy said and I looked at Esoj, Nena, and Gōsuto who were getting up slowly and I smiled nervously at them.

"Hehe… sorry guys. I kinda forgot we were just training." I said and they all sweat dropped, including Lucy who had come down from her perch above us. "But hey, Nena nice try, using the high route to get the drop on me would have worked if I didn't have super smell. Nice try."

"Thanks, but still we will never be enough to actually get you. The only here who could actually fight you one on one is Lucy." Esoj said as he walked over to us and helping a very tired looking Gōsuto walk as well.

"Oi, Gōsuto. You ok? You look like a train or something hit you. Mei keep you up all night or something?" I asked and started laughing, as did everyone else except for Gōsuto who looked very serious. I noticed his seriousness and I looked at him again and stopped laughing, I asked him, "Gōsuto what's wrong? Did something happen? Did she… did she say no?"

"No. I haven't actually talked to her yet because I can't find her. Rai asked me where she was but I thought she had gone with him on his last mission. Since the ring was finished two weeks ago I haven't seen her and I'm getting really worried." He said and my heart dropped to my stomach and I looked at Gōsuto, feeling truly sorry for him.

Then Rai appeared and ran down to Gōsuto, and said, "I found her! She went on a little trip for some specific supplies for Lucy when the baby comes. Apparently she went with Tsume but Tsume never said anything, but oh well at least she's ok!"

Gōsuto nodded furiously and looked at us and we nodded, he ran to the door of the training field and was about to leave when Mei appeared at the door. Gōsuto saw her and immediately scooped her up in his arms, kissing her all over to tell how much he missed her. She was apologizing too I think, I couldn't quite make it out and tried to walk closer so I could hear better, but Lucy grabbed me by the collar and pulled me back. She shook her head and I shrugged, understanding that we should give them some space. Then Gōsuto said something that made her gasp, and he got down on one knee, and I knew what was happening. He held up the ring I had made, or at least I had made the diamond, which was a shadowy grey but shined like it was a star. It was perfect, according to him and it was huge, as big as his pinkie's nail he said, which isn't saying much since he's so short and small compared to me but whatever. She began to cry and nodded her head, probably saying yes a lot of times and they kissed again, this time the kiss much deeper and more passionate than before.

Lucy squealed in delight and dragged me along with her, us being followed by Esoj, Nena, and Rai who had a big smile on his face, happy that his sister was happy. We reached the newly engaged couple and began cheering for them, the guys patting Gōsuto on the back and giving him a man's hug. The girls were all hugging and squealing so loudly it felt like my eardrums were going to break and bleed. But I didn't care as this was a joyous occasion and deserved this kind of reaction, but I was pulled back to reality a moment later.

The lacrima in my pocket went off and I looked to see who it was and saw it was Juvia. I looked at Lucy and she saw the lacrima, she nodded and told everyone, "Hey guys, why don't you go and tell everyone else the great news! We'll be right there."

Everyone nodded, unaware that I was holding a lacrima in my hands and ran off to find everyone else. Lucy walked up to me and I answered the call, saying, "You're late."

"Juvia is sorry Natsu-san. She ran into a slight problem, after installing the listening devices in the guild hall, she realized that she had set off a rune barrier. Juvia had to use some rune knowledge Lucy-san had taught me to make sure it didn't identify Juvia and then Juvia had to lay low for an extra two weeks since you said that Juvia could not be seen. Erza and others began searching for me and Juvia had to make sure no one saw her." She said and we both sighed knowing that she had succeeded. "Juvia is on her way home, is there anything else you need of her?"

"No just be quick about it, Gōsuto just proposed to Mei and you should be here for the engagement party. You'll be back when exactly?" I asked and heard nothing but silence as Juvia thought about it.

"Tomorrow, in the morning if I don't sleep, if I do then at night. I'm already half way there, so if I keep going, I should be there rather quickly." She said and I nodded, 'Thinking about it, that's super impressive. Only if Igneel could fly, then I would just had him take her and pick her up, but oh well.'

I then realized she hadn't hung up yet and asked her, "Is something wrong?"

"No, not really. Juvia is just wondering why her ticket says the year is X798 on it, didn't you say that it was X799 now?" I stiffened at her words as did Lucy and we looked at each other, then started mouthing incoherently at each other before Juvia said, "Oh wait, Juvia is mistaken. It does say X799, Juvia misread it. It's almost time for the New Year no? Wow, X800 what a strange feeling that will be to always have to say X800, don't you agree Natsu-san?"

I sighed in relief as we had caught a break. The New Year was a week away and the train stations must have started printing the dates for next year to familiarize people with saying that year. "Yeah, never thought about it before, but now that you mention it, I do have to agree with you. Ok Juvia, come back safely and Lucy says hello, bye!" I said and Juvia responded as I turned off the lacrima, her response lost before she could say anything.

"That was too close." Lucy said and I nodded my head, and turned to her and sighed. I took her hand and kissed her on the cheek and led her out of the room, joining the others, and hoping to put the fact that we were lying to a member of our precious family out of my head.

Four Months and One Week Later

I looked at Lucy who was now extremely pregnant looking, 'Of course she does, her due date is one week from now. Eeeeeee! I'm so excited! Although I'm pretty sure her mood swings are only gonna get worse now, they are pretty bad now as it is so I may not survive them. But oh well, as long as the baby is born healthy, that's all I will care about.'

She looked at me from her spot in the meeting room and said, "Natsu, everything alright?"

"Yup, just excited for what's about to happen! My beautiful wife and the love of my life, giving birth to what will be the second love of my life and my bundle of joy? What could be better?" I asked and she smiled at me, happier than a cat in a yarn factory. 

"Well, you could help us plan my wedding. Just a suggestion though." Gōsuto said and I rolled my eyes at him and Mei.

"What else is there to plan? The wedding will be the day after we officially become a guild, after we beat Fairy Tail and the council grants us our freedom. The wife and her maid of honor, not us, should decide on the details for the wedding. Honestly, you don't need all of us here to do this." I said and all the men grumbled their agreement, even Lucy agreed with me, mainly because she was tired but still.

"Fine, fine. You all can leave if you want. Rai excluded, it is your sister's wedding after all." Gōsuto said and we all cheered, except for Rai who groaned at Gōsuto but did not verbally say anything. At that moment the alarms went off, and we all looked around at each other and then at the surveillance lacrima.

What I saw shocked me and I said in complete shock, "How did he find us?" everyone else was as shocked as I was and didn't move for a moment. Then I regained my senses and said, "Luce, your with me. Everyone else, defensive positions. He doesn't look like he's looking for a fight, but just in case."

Everyone mumbled their agreement and ran off, taking their positions as I walked to the door, Lucy next to me. We reached the door and looked at each for assurance, then I opened the door, looking directly at the faces of Gajeel and Levy Redfox. "What do you want?" I asked and gave them my coldest stare, seeing if I could scare them off.

It didn't work as Gajeel scoffed and said, "Not here to fight Salamander, or should I say Hell's Judge?" I glared at him even harder if possible, shooting heated daggers and he laughed, "Don't worry, we're not here to fight, just here to ask you some questions. Well one main one, and depending on your answer I have more questions. Now the question first off is, will you listen or will you fight?"

I looked at him as he had not taken a fighting stance and I sighed at him, then answered, "Yes. What do you want to know so badly you actually came and found us."

He looked at me and his face turned serious for a second, then he blew me away with what his question was, "Is it true that Lisanna was somewhat under Zeref's control and he used her feelings for you and her jealousy of bunny girl to convince her to attack bunny girl?"

"How did you know that?!" I asked and looked around, making sure no one except for us four heard anything of what he said. "That information was private and should never have left anyone's mouths but ours, we were the only ones who knew that was the truth."

He looked at Levy and said, "Levy found a diary kept by Lisanna and had trouble deciphering it, so we went to Shi and found someone who could do it. Then we found out she had been talking to some little creature that was actually one of Zeref's demons called Wormtongue. It was capable of convincing anyone of anything by using only his words, which is how it convinced Lisanna to attack bunny girl."

"Wow. You really do know everything about that. Except for one thing. There was Wormtongue, who we killed a while back, and there was also Wormbrain. Wormbrain got inside of her mind and had corrupted her before Wormtongue got to her, giving her a dislike of Luce and her jealousy of Luce. Wormbrain was also part of her being by the time of the attack so there was no other option because Wormbrain would have turner her into a demon by poisoning her brain, it's why you couldn't read that diary she wrote it in the demons language. I had to kill her." I explained, filling in the blanks of what they did not know.

"Well, that answers my questions actually, but I think Levy has a question for bunny girl." He said and let Levy step in front of him, she looked nervous yet determined and cleared her throat.

She looked at Lucy and said in a partly shaky voice, "Lucy, how long were you an enemy of Fairy Tail, how long were you allied with Natsu?"

Lucy looked at her sadly and sighed sadly as well, knowing that she was asking how long she had been lying to her for. She told her the truth when she said, "About one month after the attack. I realized that the eyes of the Natsu that attacked me were not his, they lacked his usual fire and passion, they were fake and distant looking. I'm sorry Levy-chan, but I needed to lie to you. I didn't want you getting caught up in everything and getting hurt, but I know I should have told you the truth. We're best friends for a reason and that's because we trust each other with everything that is going on. I'm sorry." She pulled Levy into a hug and they both started crying, their own way of saying sorry to each other.

They pulled apart for a second and Levy put two plus two together and asked, "So you're pregnant?" Lucy nodded and she rubbed her stomach, and Levy asked, "How much longer?"

"One week from today. It will be born on April 3rd, if everything goes according to plan." Lucy said and Levy squealed in delight for her best friend.

She turned to Gajeel and asked, "Can we stay here until then? Please?!"

Gajeel sighed and nodded causing the girls to squeal and run inside, I smiled at him and asked, "Where's the rest of the family?"

"Oh yeah. OI! Pops! Come on down, we're safe here. Hey Salamander, where's your dragon?" Gajeel said and I sighed, seeing Metalicana flying would make Igneel sad but he needed the company.

"There's a small valley like area here on the grounds where he's staying. He'll see it if he does a fly over. Just tell him to be sensitive… Igneel lost a wing and can't fly anymore." I said, the last part in a whisper and Gajeel's eyes grew wide but he nodded.

Metalicana landed and Pantherlily jumped off of him, with little Joi asleep in his arms. Gajeel whispered something to his adoptive father whose eyes grew wide and he nodded, flying off to where Igneel was. "Alright, Lily we'll be here for a while so make yourself comfortable, ok? Uh, should we just choose a room or what?" He asked and I shook my head at him.

"No, Virgo! Get some rooms ready for them. Everyone! We're good here! You can come out." I said and then looked directly at him and got up close and personal to him, saying, "What you are about to see cannot be retold to anyone, ANYONE. Understood?"

He nodded and then looked around, seeing that everyone was there and when he saw a certain someone he lost his shit. Literally, he almost shit himself. He thought it was ghost as he yelled, "JUVIA?! Oh my gods! How are you even here?"

Juvia looked at him puzzled and asked, "Who is this Juvia you speak of? My name is Sola." I had to keep a straight face and knew it was for the plan that this needed to happen, he couldn't know about Juvia just yet.

"Oh… sorry you look really familiar, like someone I used to know. Ryos. Why are you here?" Gajeel asked and I looked at them, wondering if something was about to happen.

"You should know, you surely heard about Sting and I having a falling out." He replied coolly and Gajeel nodded.

Gajeel sighed and looked at him again, he ran a hand through his hair as he said, "So it was true, huh? Well I can't tell you how to live life but I just hope you know what your doing. Salamander, let's get going inside, I'm hungry." He walked past me and I sighed, hoping this wasn't a bad idea.

One Week Later

'Thank the gods for Gajeel, I would be so screwed without him.' I thought as I carried Lucy to the clinic, as after we went to sleep last night I woke up almost immediately as I felt water all over the bed. Her water had broken and she was going into labor, and she had had her first contraction. 'That was scary as fuck, I thought she was being attacked she screamed so loud. Thankfully Gajeel told me everything that I needed to know. Now for the part that is going to be equal amount of pain for the two of us, the waiting for her to be dilated enough. I swear this better be quick.'

It wasn't. We waited for ten hours and everyone else was now awake and present, it was seven in the morning now after all. Then finally, she was ready to give birth to our child. The doctor led her into the room while Lucy yelled at me, "FUCK YOU NATSU! THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT! I HATE YOU! FUCK YOU!"

I sighed knowing that it was the pain talking and I just held her hand, thankful that Gajeel had warned me it would happen. We were escorted into the delivery room and the doctor told Lucy to push as soon she was no longer being rolled around. Lucy pushed, exerting all her effort and using my hand a stress ball but then something truly shocking happened. I felt a pop from my hand I was in an immense amount of pain for some odd reason, then I put two plus two together and realized she broke my hand. She had squeezed my hand so hard that it broke and I had to stifle a scream as I saw Lucy in pain. I gave her my other hand and squeezed her hand instead and she kept on pushing.

After ten minutes the doctor said much to my relief, "Ok Lucy, this is the final push I can see it's head. PUSH!"

And then Lucy pushed and in a moment of wonder I stopped squeezing her hand and she squeezed instead. Then I felt the same pop in that hand as before and yelled in pain falling away from Lucy and to the floor, holding my hands up as I howled in pain. Lucy finished the final push and I heard a baby crying. I shot back up and looked at this weird alien looking thing that was just drenched in blood and thought to myself, 'That is by far the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.'

I looked the baby over and started to tear up, knowing that the wait was over, and I was a father finally. Lucy was breathing heavily and as the baby was cleaned I said to her, bending over to kiss her forehead, "Luce, you're the bestest. You did amazing, other than breaking both of my hands."

At my admission of her breaking both my hands she looked at me surprised and asked, "I did?"

"Yup, but who cares? We're parents Luce. We're really parents!" I said and we both started to cry and only stopped when we realized the nurse was there, with our child in hand.

"It's a girl, what do you want to name her, Mr. and Mrs. Dragneel?" The nurse asked and we both looked at each other and smiled, knowing what we were going to say.

"Hoshi Layla Dragneel." We said together and the nurse nodded.

"Well while I get the paperwork done, why don't you hold little Hoshi, ok Mrs. Dragneel?" The nurse asked and Lucy nodded and I got next to Lucy on her gurney, the nurse handed Hoshi to Lucy and immediately I felt like my life was complete. I was with the two most important women in the world to me and we were all safe and sound. I looked at Lucy and then at Hoshi and I saw very similar features, and noticed Hoshi was no longer crying, but instead calm and sleeping. I could even make out the fact that she had hair and it was a natural strawberry blonde. A perfect mixture of both of us and that really is what Hoshi was to me: perfect, absolutely perfect.

I kissed Hoshi as softly as physically possible on the forehead and said, "Welcome to our family, Hoshi. You are our perfect little miracle, our little angel forever."

Over the next several hours, people came in and left, including all of Lucy's spirits except for Arthur and the Spirit King as if they had come as well, they would have destroyed the hospital. They all congratulated us and we thanked them, telling them to wait until tomorrow to actually meet Hoshi as she needed rest. Everyone except for Gajeel and Levy stayed as Gajeel said, "I need to check in and get back. Been nine months since we left the guild, and seven since we contacted them. But know this Salamander, even though I still consider you a friend, I will not hesitate to fight you. Just know that in three months, I will see you as an enemy."

I knew this was what needed to happen, if he told them he stayed with us for a while he would probably be arrested and interrogated for our exact location. But I knew he would not say too much nor say that he knew Rogue was here with us and that there was a Juvia look alike, or at least very similar to person among us.

And then there was Loke… He was a little excited for the baby and was insistent on seeing Hoshi first. He kept guard over the door and would fight ANYONE who came close to his precious little Hoshi. Even me. Yup, he fought me too for a minute before he realized who it was and asked me, "Is it time for us to meet Hoshi?" I nodded and he squealed like a fan-girl and then Capricorn came as well. Being more or less the one who would teach Hoshi her manners he believed he should be the first to see Hoshi. It didn't end well as they both started arguing over who would get to teach her everything that parents couldn't and I sighed and just walked in.

I saw her laying in her little crib in her private room, which we had requested so she could rest in peace. I walked up to her crib and just looked at her, smiling down at her unable to actually grab her since both my hands were in casts from being broken yesterday. So I just looked at her and smiled, happy as a dog with his bone, actually happier as I was with my little bundle of joy. "Don't you worry Hoshi, mamma and daddy are gonna make sure you live the perfect life, I promise we will be free to do as we please." And then my focus began to shift, to three months in advance, to the day where we earn our freedom.

Three Months Later

I stand on top of a building looking down, I see a group of people arguing and then one of throws a punch at one I can't help but laugh at them. I hear Lucy asking a ton of questions to someone, "Is she ok? Is she sleeping or awake? If she's awake then let me say goodbye. No wait! Put her to sleep she needs to sleep. No wait! Let me sing her favorite lullaby. No wait!"

I sighed and walked over to her and turned off the lacrima and pulled her up to look at me, "Luce. Don't worry, Hoshi is safe. We left Kurayami, Capricorn, Igneel, AND Gajeel had Metalicana go there as well. Even if he says he came on his own we know Gajeel and Levy sent him. Stop worrying. We have a job to do." She looked at me for a moment then nodded, sighing her agreement. I turned to everyone else and said, "Ok it's go time. Esoj, Nena you two ready?"

"YES SIR!" They both said and stood up, and yelled, "Tierra Firma!" "Coso!" and an arena appeared on the ground below us. The people below saw it and then said something and they all ran inside.

"Ok so everyone remember the plan? Karr you have Richard. Rogue you have Sting. Mern you have Cobra. Rai you have Lyon. Gōsuto you have Erza and Jellal. Esoj you have Gildarts and Gajeel. Nena you have Jura. Juvia you have Gray. Lucy you watch Juvia's battle. I have Laxus. Ready? Good Go!" I said and ran off the roof and jumped towards the arena followed by everyone else. We landed on the roof and checked where everyone was via the lacrima inside and went into the appropriate room, ready to earn our freedom.

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**A/N: WHEW! THAT WAS SO LONG! Like a catholic mass or something, geez. Seven thousand words plus! Man oh man that took forever. So yeah, that was still tons of fun! And now, we know the line-up card for the fight marathon we start tomorrow. Who's excited for Karr vs. Richard!... Ok, so no one really is but it is extremely important to the plot because as you can clearly see, there are nine fights, but I promised ten before. Well now it's actually gonna be eleven and you'll see why soon enough, so remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 53: Book Covers Are Deceiving

**A/N: Hello there people! Here we go! First shout out to EliXY and sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for the reviews! I decided to give you guys a tentative schedule for the fights, so here you are: (Question Marks are a Surprise)**

**Karr vs. Richard-Monday/Today**

**Mern vs. Cobra-Tuesday/Tomorrow**

**Rogue vs. Sting-Wednesday**

**Break-Thursday**

**Rai vs. Lyon-Friday**

**Gōsuto vs. Erza and Jellal-Saturday**

**Break-Sunday**

**Nena vs. Jura-Monday**

**Esoj vs. Gajeel and Gildarts-Tuesday**

**?-Wednesday**

**?-Thursday**

**Juvia vs. Gray-Friday**

**?- Saturday**

**Natsu vs. Laxus-Sunday**

**I clearly want to kill my brain but I am super excited to do this! We are so close to the end I can taste it! It tastes like fire and pumpkins so it tastes amazing! The pumpkins part I don't actually eat fire… Natsu does though! Right enough babbling, on with the punching and spells! ENJOY!**

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(Karr POV)

I land on the roof and see where exactly Richard was and see that he is in the room farthest away from the rest. 'It's a pretty big room, so that is not good for me as Richard likes to use more ranged attacks than close ranged ones. I'll need to be moving a lot or his liquid ground will get me quickly. I don't want to be caught in that, it'll be a big ass mess if I do. I have a job to do, don't want to be the one who fails to do it, or else they will call me dirt since I'm as old as it… Fuck I'm old.'

I ran to my room's hole and jumped down, free falling down a tunnel made of pure earth and I thought, 'Fuck, this place is made of pure earth. This is bad, I'm gonna have to use some serious magic to negate his advantage. I might even have to use THAT technique.' I touched my special necklace and felt each of the beads on it and knew I was ready for anything.

I finally entered the room and landed with a crash into the ground, and had to stretch my back out since I had back problems. I feel the bones of my back crack and pop, going back into perfect alignment. I looked and saw Richard looking at me and he asked, "Who are you? A fellow follower of the doctrine of LOVE?!"

I blink at the man who was once called 'Hot Eye' and was a member of one of the most powerful dark guilds in the world and asked, "Are you Richard, a.k.a. Hot Eye?"

He straightened up and asked, "Yes. Richard Buchannan, although no one calls me Hot Eye anymore, instead they call me the prophet of LOVE!"

I sweat dropped at his ridiculousness and sighed, telling him, "Name's Karr, the Wild Knight. Or 'Wild Knight Karr', as I was once known. Come now, you must know who I am."

He looked at me and scratched his head and said, "Karr… the Wild Knight… Hmmmm. Nope, don't know anyone by that name, were you ever part of a guild that I would know about? A guild about LOVE?"

I clenched my jaw and glared at him, "YES. I was once part of Quatro Cerberus back in the day. BEFORE Goldmine joined and became the master. Then I became a council bounty hunter." I said every word tensely, annoyed with this youngster and his love crap, I had never ever wanted to knock someone's teeth in more than right now.

"AH! Wait! Yes I've heard of you! You are known as the 'Wild Knight' because of your unique magic! A combination of 'The Knight' and of animal soul takeover magic, right? All based on the bead on that necklace you have, am I correct?" He asked and I blinked, surprised by how much he knew and simply nodded at him, "Hmm, I know of you from my time in Oración Seis. None of it is very good, you were a brutal bounty hunter and never missed out on a bounty until Zeref became active again. You do not know the meaning of LOVE! I must show you what the meaning and power of LOVE is! Liquid Ground!" He yelled and suddenly the ground beneath me became liquid.

"Fuck! Requip: Bird Soul!" I yelled and a bead on my necklace glowed and a set of armor appeared, and it had bird like qualities, even set with wings that were encased in chain mail but were still as light as a feather. I flew high above the ground and swirled around him, waiting to see what he would do. I waited a moment more and just decided to stop waiting and take the fight to him instead, grabbing this armor's weapon, a lance, and flew right at him.

I put the lance ahead of my head and kept flying at an extremely high speed before, he yelled, "Liquid Ground: Wave!" A wave of his liquid ground came up right in front of me and I flew straight into it. 'Wow. Just wow. How did I fall for that?' I mumble yelled, "Requip: Elephant Soul!" and another armor appeared and it was absolutely massive. Like an elephant, my armor was massive and I broke free of the liquid ground wall. My tusks, yes the armor had tusks, swung forward and almost hit Richard, but he just jumped back a bit. I yelled, "Requip: Dog Soul!" and my armor changed again, this time I looked like a dog. I now had a helmet, and the sides were long like ears and I had a special weapon, brass knuckles that had long blades on every knuckle.

I smirked at him and charged at him, but he just kept yelling "Liquid Ground!" causing me to have to move and try another way. 'Damn, he's too fast with that move. Hmmm, there is always the get faster idea, but that will drain some magic to hold that type of technique for a long period of time. But I got a job to do, and I will get it done. I guess there really is no choice then, gotta do it.'

I jumped back a bit and took a bead from the back of my necklace and popped it in my mouth, then I swallowed it whole yelling, "Body Change: Jaguar Soul". I then began to glow again and this time instead of an armor just appearing on me, my body morphed into a jaguar like body. I could still stand upright, but hands became more like paws with metal claws on them, and my feet did as well. I had a helmet that covered most of my face except for my mouth, where long fang like protectors came down from the helmet protecting my mouth.

Richard looked surprised by my new look and I smirked. I got on all fours and in an instant I pounced and was on Richard like a moth to it's flame. I swung upwards with my claws and Richard could only dodge, but I didn't stop and I kept clawing away at him, forcing him back until he had nowhere to go and I nicked his cheek. I saw a chance to land a bigger blow as he looked surprised that I got him so I brought both of my paw like hands down in an X formation to try and get him but he merely caught both of them with his own hands. He looked down at me and yelled, "Liquid Ground: Quick Sand!"

The ground beneath me quickly began swallowing me up and he let go of my hands, as he didn't want me to have an anchor to high ground as I sank. I tried to get out of the quick sand but was stuck in there, and also was stuck in this form. 'Fuck. I knew the body change idea was foolhardy, if I swallow a bead I'm stuck in that form for at least three minutes. It's only been two, maybe two and a half. I better pray that it's been two and a half or else I wont survive this, come on! Body Change: Release! …Nope no good. Not yet.' I look around and can only see just above the high ground and I curse myself, 'Goddamn it! Why must I be so damn short? Fuck! Body Change: Release! Body Change: Release! Body Change: Release! Body Change: Release! Body Change: Release! Wait, yes! Time's up!' I felt my body go back to normal and felt the bead return to my necklace, recharging a bit from being used so heavily. 'Definitely can only use that technique two more time at least, maybe three if I push it a bit. Time to get out of here.'

"Requip: Pterodactyl Soul!" I yelled and a new set of armor appeared on me, this time it was like the bird armor but was bigger and sturdier. My wings were bigger and I had a helmet on that looked like pterodactyl's head, set with the long thing sticking out behind it. I looked at Richard as I flew out of the quick sand and he looked… bored? 'Fuck you. You getting bored? Well why don't I show you some fun then!'

I flew down at him and before he could use his liquid ground, I strafed left used my long wing to slash at him, connecting with his rib cage. But he was unfazed and merely turned his hand position towards me and yelled, "Liquid Ground: Crash!", then I knew I was fucked. The ground spout up at me and crashed into me, washing me away like it was a wave in the ocean. I went flying away, being carried by the wave to the far end of the room where Richard followed me to. He caught up to me and yelled, "Liquid Ground: Crusher!" The ground the sent me up high, and then another wave of liquid ground, this time from the ceiling as everything was made of earth, and it crashed into me from above, crushing me. I was being slowly crushed, the force of the two waves slowly turning me into a two dimensional stick figure.

I struggled for a moment before just deciding to change armor, and yelled, "Requip: Gorilla Soul!" My armor morphed again and expands, now big and stronger than before my armor allowed me to have some breathing room from the waves. Then the waves disappeared and I fell to the ground and landed with crash, making a loud thud sound as I did. Then Richard was upon me again, punching me even harder into the ground, and yelled, "Liquid Ground: Restrain!", and I was held down to the ground by his liquid ground completely unable to move.

Richard got up and looked at me, before asking, "What is your full name?"

I blinked at him and hesitated before answering, "That's none of your business, Lover Boy."

He scoffed at me and said, "I don't think you're in any position here to not answer my questions, especially since if you don't, the ground will just eat you whole. Your choice, I really do not care. My message of LOVE will not reach your hardened soul. You wasted your energy, and didn't even have a chance to fight me seriously, nor will you have the chance to." Then held up my necklace and I knew I was fucked, 'He must grabbed it when he punched me, damn him!' then he continued, "I am glad that you understand what my message is, pure unadulterated LOVE! But know that I would give you five minutes before the restraint I placed on you crushes you. Yes, the restraint is constantly getting tighter and will soon crush you. It will not kill you, but it might crush your windpipes. But answer the question and I will release you and just knock you out instead of crushing your windpipes."

'Wow, for a man who preaches about love so damn much he can be pretty cruel. Well, it looks I have no choice now.' Richard waited a moment longer before he sighed and turned to leave and I said, "Strauss, Karr Strauss the third."

Richard stopped in his tracks and turned around, looking at me in shock before asking, "What did you just say?"

"You heard me, my name is Karr Strauss. And no, I'm not the parent of any missing children who belong to a certain mage guild we all know. I am actually their uncle, their father was my brother. But you see, I never even knew my brother had any children. Never knew until a certain trio of children came along and made themselves famous, my nieces and nephew. Imagine the pride I felt, being there uncle. Imagine it! But then imagine what I must have felt when I read about a little punk ass excuse for a dragon slayer, supposedly betrayed by one of them and the proceeding to kill her in revenge. Feel like shit, that's what. So what would any man do when presented with this situation? Why they would get their revenge and do so in a legal way of course. Now how could a man do this? Well for one they would need to work for the council, and two they would need to be either a bounty hunter or a magic enforcement captain. Then they would need a mission for this and the kicker of it all? They would a need a solid partner, am I right partner?" Richard tensed as I finished my last little piece of my planned rant, and as a sword stuck out from his gut.

"You talk too much." My partner said and I scoffed at him.

"Yeah, but I needed to make sure he didn't see you coming, since I only saw you when I was flying around earlier. Anyways, how did you get here so quickly? Didn't you fight a dragon slayer?" I asked him and now he scoffed.

"That might have been a challenge before I killed Lawhn, now it was way too easy. I'm telling you, I could take Esoj right now if I wanted to." Mern said and I laughed with him.

"Don't underestimate him too much, he still hasn't shown us his full power just yet. Now come on, we still have a job to do. Oh, and you didn't kill him right?" I asked and he nodded.

"Nah, just did enough to knock him out cold, missed all of his vital organs. He should make out just fine." He said and I nodded.

"You know, he thought he had me all figured out. But all he did was look at me like I was just a boom cover. Well, he just learned book covers are deceiving." I said and Mern groaned.

"Fuck you and your puns, honestly." He said and I shrugged, following him we both left the room and left Richard lying there like a pile of dirt, bleeding out into unconsciousness.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: Whew! What a surprise that was! I called it! Oh wait… I wrote it! Hahaha I'm a silly bitch when I need my sleep. Well I hope that plot twist came out of nowhere for everyone and I hope you understand that his magic should have given it away. Surprises are still oncoming as well, but tomorrow will not be one, instead a short fight followed by some background on their mission, so hang in there! Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 54: Patience is Power

**A/N: Hello again! Quick A/N here today, just giving a shout out to brucie86 and sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for the reviews! Now on with the story, ENJOY!**

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Start of Battles (Mern POV)

I land on the roof and see where exactly Cobra is and see he is in the middle of all the rooms, the room also being the most average of them all. 'Not very big, nor very small. Perfect to test out my power up, time to see just how fast I am. Let's get this over with.' I look and find the appropriate hole and jump down, free falling towards where Cobra is waiting and land right next to him, startling him. "Why hello there." I threw a punch so fast I barely even realized it connected, but it did and he went flying into a wall. I looked at my fist and then at Cobra, then back to my fist and back to Cobra and did this at least three more times before I smirked as he got himself out of the wall.

"What the fuck… Huh? Who are you?" He said as he saw me and couldn't recognize me, "What's your name, I can hear your thoughts so don't lie to me."

I laughed at him evilly, or I thought it sounded pretty maniacal compared to how I usually sounded, and said, "Telling an opponent your name is reserved for opponents of similar strength, something we are not, Cobra."

He clenched his jaw and charged at me, yelling, "Poison Dragon's Sharp Horn!" His fists became shrouded in poison and he threw several punches at me, at a speed that before now I would have had to work hard to dodge or try and block them. But not anymore, now I saw every movement he made and they all seemed very slow, and I merely avoided every punch until he got careless and I got a counter in. I nailed him in the gut and moved in to land another blow, but was stopped by a tail constricting me. 'Wait, a tail?!'

I turned around and saw that there was indeed a purple tail stopping me, and Cobra saw it too, yelling out to the owner of said tail, "Kinnana! Get out of here! This is too dangerous for you to be here! Kinnana!" I looked over my shoulder and saw only a snake there instead, no person or, in his case, wife to be seen. "Damn it Kinnana! Transform back into a human and get out of here! And don't you ignore me! I know you can hear me!"

I sighed at this annoyance and just grabbed the tail roughly and it's grip loosened from the pain. I said annoyed, "Thorn Sword!" and my usual weapon, my sword of thorns appeared. I looked back at Cobra and smirked deviously, he then realized my plan and yelled out, "NO! WAIT!" but it was too late. I turned to the tail in my hand and swung my sword downwards, and I cut the tail that held me clean off.

I turned to Cobra and asked sadistically, "Hey since I cut that off while she was a snake, what is her human body part equivalent? Hahahaha!" Cobra was shaking now, and he got up and ran past me to where his wife was. She had turned back into a human and I saw that everything was there, except she had a massive gash on her stomach that looked pretty bad. "Aww, that's it? I had hoped for some limbs at least, but I guess that'll leave a nice scar. So where do you want yours?"

Cobra turned towards me and I smiled at him before he let out a howl and charged at me. He looked different now, like he was totally cloaked in poison, like he WAS the poison almost. He yelled, "Poison Dragon's Scales!", and things that looked like sickles of poison came flying at me. I dodged each one and kept my eye on him as he kept coming at me. I ducked, jumped, bobbed, and weaved my way out of the path of his attack and soon enough he was within striking distance as he yelled, "Poison Dragon's Fang Thrust!" A fang of poison appeared and came at me, but I didn't even move and just cut the thing in half with my sword.

I looked at him and sighed internally, bored by the lack of ability in a mage especially a dragon slayer like he was. 'So pathetic. Honestly. Why did I agree to fight him? I should have lobbied for Gajeel and Gildarts, now that would have been fun. This… this is just boring and sad to watch. Well, time to show him how futile his little assault is.' I gripped my sword tighter and then moved, flying by him and slashing as I did, cutting right above the knee area. I moved so fast that for a minute nothing happened, then like a cheesy samurai movie I brought my sword to rest and a spurt of blood came from his thigh. He went to a knee and I moved back on him, there before he even had time to look at the cut. I grabbed him from behind and delivered a flurry of rights to his kidney, and he howled in pain from the blows. I then threw him up in the air and slashed upwards, giving a cut that matched his wife's and I then jumped up. Mid-air I started to do a flip and when I was upside down I kicked him, sending him flying into the ground next to his wife.

I landed and looked at him, he was in bad shape completely beaten and bleeding next to his already unconscious wife. I walked over to where he was and sighed at him, saying, "I had hoped for more from you, but luckily enough you didn't even make me break a sweat. You see I have a very important mission I must complete and I don't want to waste my energy on fodder like you. Goodnight, my little snake." I punched him in the face once, and his head banged into the ground and a moment later he was out cold with a broken nose.

I stood up and sighed, walking away from him and getting ready to leave the room, 'Man that was easy. Every thing is going according to my master plan. I got out from working from Zeref, which was the easiest part. But then, I convinced the council to use me as a spy for their next big mission even before I agreed to work with them and be a council mage. I remember that day like it was yesterday.'

_FLASHBACK- One Year and Two Months Ago_

_I sit in the waiting room of the council with another guy who I barely know. 'I think his name is Karr or something but I don't really care, I just need this meeting to go well. If this goes well then I can use the information I found on that tablet really soon, sooner than I thought. Stealing the thing that makes Lawhn so strong? Yes. That is what I need! POWER. Yes I maybe a bit crazy, but I like power. I crave power and Zeref was not giving me any of it. Nor did my brothers help, they made me look bad all my life and got me stuck with the worst job possible: agent handler. Ugh, I hate those people, they are extremely creepy and a bunch of losers. But now, now I can finally have my revenge. Natsu and the Sabertooth twins took care of Mard and cost me the chance to take his power, but Lawhn is mine! MINE!' _

"_Hey, they're ready for you. Wake up!" A guard said, breaking me out of my reverie as he moved towards me. I got up quickly and mumbled an apology as he led me into the room where the council was and he released me from the shackles they had me in. I rubbed my wrists and looked at the council and at the other guy, the bounty hunter who found me and brought me in alive. I had let him take me on the condition that he secures a meeting with the council for me, which he did. _

_I looked at the council members and clear my throat, letting them know if they wish to say anything they could. "Mr. Greer, why are you here?" asked one woman councilor and I looked at her._

"_Mad' am councilor I am glad you asked." I started and saw the council's faces grow annoyed with me already, so I said "I am here to ask you for your help in killing two birds with one stone. I need help executing my plan, you see while I worked for Zeref, I never really loved or even liked him like everyone else did. No you see I actually despised him, still do actually. As such, and the fact that he made my life hell ever since I was born, I want him dead. As I know you do as well. But you also have another person you want brought to justice, one Natsu Dragneel if I am correct?" They all were looking at me like I was a falling star or something, like I had just said something so astounding that I was inhuman. _

"_So here is what I propose, we help each other out by helping Natsu out. I know the inner workings of Zeref's organization and know where he hides out. So allow Natsu to find me and convince me to work with him so we could allow him to find and kill Zeref for us. Now I am sure your wondering how does that help us defeat Natsu? Well you see my brothers and I share a unique link with each other, if we kill one brother we gain his abilities and strengths. I do believe that with this power boost I can kill him, and I know for a fact that my only remaining brother, Lawhn, is Zeref's personal bodyguard. I would kill him in the chaos that would ensue when Natsu and his posse find Zeref and take his power. Then in one year, when he truly believes me to be part of his posse, I would swoop in, during the rematch and kill everyone one by one, using the fact that they are fatigued to finish them easily. Now I know that the council does not simply allow strangers to do their work so I propose you assign me a handler, maybe the bounty hunter here who captured me. So, are we in agreement or not?" I asked and they all looked at each other, then at the chairman who stood up. _

_He walked over to me and stuck out his hand and said, "We do. The only thing we ask is that you start tomorrow." I nodded, surprised they went for it so easily but knew they were desperate, after all Natsu Dragneel had just embarrassed the most powerful guild in Fiore. They needed him to go down so they can keep a strong front. And I knew my patience was going to pay off, because as the old adage goes, 'Patience is Power.'_

_END FLASHBACK_

I smile as I remember that moment and make my way to where Karr is as he is struggling. I sigh and with my sword I stab Richard in the gut, saving Karr and defeating Richard in one strike.

"You talk too much." I say, scoffing at him.

"Yeah, but I needed to make sure he didn't see you coming, since I only saw you when I was flying around earlier. Anyways, how did you get here so quickly? Didn't you fight a dragon slayer?" He asked me and I scoffed.

"That might have been a challenge before I killed Lawhn, now it was way too easy. I'm telling you, I could take Esoj right now if I wanted to." I said and I laughed with him.

"Don't underestimate him too much, he still hasn't shown us his full power just yet. Now come on, we still have a job to do. Oh, and you didn't kill him right?" He asked and I nodded.

"Nah, just did enough to knock him out cold, missed all of his vital organs. He should make out just fine." I nodded and we both left the room, leaving a very badly beaten ex-dark mage and a now current disciple of love to bleed out into unconsciousness. 'He's right remember, I must have patience. Patience is Power.'

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**A/N: Dun, dun, dun! What a surprise! He had this all planned out and it went so smoothly! Well, I will tell you this, he won't fight Natsu but I won't say who he is fighting, you have to guess! If enough people get this right, I'll tell you another secret too! Sorry it took so long but I was hanging out with my girlfriend today, yes my girlfriend. Hopefully you all understand that this does mean I may not have as much time with this story as I have school and a girlfriend now but don't worry! I wont forget about you guys! Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 55: Live Together as Brothers or Die Together as Fools

**A/N: Hello! Today will be shorter as well, but for good reason! I won't say why because you can always just, I don't know, read the chapter maybe? But! But I will as promised, tell you guys a secret. Lucy will be fighting even though the schedule does not say it, but she will not be fighting Mern. Now, I apologize this shout out is so late but shout out to mrady for the follow! And the regular shout out to sashaXmafuyuFORVER and brucie86, you guys rock! Now ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

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Start of Battles (Rogue POV)

I land on the roof and look at the lacrimas to see where exactly Sting is and see he is in the room closest to the exit, the room also being the smallest of them all. 'Not a very big room, it is very small actually. Perfect. Let's get this over with.' I look and find the appropriate hole and jump down, free falling towards where Sting is waiting and land right next to him, but he doesn't even flinch. "Why hello there." I said and he looked at me over his shoulder, shrugging at me. I yell and turn towards where the lacrima is, yelling, "Shadow Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Shadows come from my hand and destroy the lacrima, cutting us off from the prying eyes that were watching us. "Well, now we are all alone now."

(POV Change to Lucy)

I watch the lacrima and see everyone talking to their opponents, that is until Rogue destroys his lacrima. 'What the fuck! What is he doing?! NATSU!" I yell through the telepathic link Mern set up for us and I reach him.

'What? Where's the fire?' He asks.

'Rogue has gone, well, rogue. He destroyed the lacrima in his room, I have no way to know what he's doing.' I answer and I hear Natsu mentally curse.

'Ok, ummm. Well in reality we have no choice but to trust him. He is part of our family afterall.' Natsu said and I sighed, returning my focus to Juvia who has begun her battle with Gray.

'I hope your right. Because, I never trusted him like you did.' I think to myself and watch with great interest as the married couple dukes it out.

(POV Change back to Rogue)

"Well, now we are all alone now." I say and Sting turns around to face me a big smile on his face, "I missed you, bro."

"Me too. How was the mission? Have fun joining up with Natsu-san again? Must have brought back memories of when we all fought together seven years ago." Sting said and I smiled at the memory, the three of us fighting Mard Greer and winning.

"Yeah, but he's still as stupid as he was back then." I said and we both laughed with each other, like we had seen each other every day for the past year, which we hadn't. "How's Yukino doing?"

"She's good. Doing a good job of pretending to be my girlfriend too. We have everyone fooled, even Obra and Rufus believe us. Although Obra also believes that he can take Laxus on, one on one." Sting said and we both laughed at our guild mate's stupidity, but Sing sting stopped as he looked like he remembered a bad dream, "But we still can't find the young missus."

'Minerva. Gods, why are you such a bitch Minerva? Just come home, he clearly misses you so why do you like to torture him?' I thought to myself as I sighed and put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey don't worry, we'll find her. I promise you, and I now know she's definitely not working with a dark guild again because I would have heard about it. We dealt with a lot of shady people over the past year and none of them said they knew anything about her, so my guess is she's still abroad." It was all lies. I had heard that she had indeed gone back to her old life and it broke my heart.

He visibly brightened at my lies and smiled at me, "Good! Now, onto some business. What did you learn about Natsu-san and Lucy-san?" He asked me while sitting down, and I soon joined him on the floor.

"A lot. But none of it is good for us. Natsu and Lucy are way out of our league. WAY OUT OF IT. He killed semi dragon demons when we killed Zeref like they were practice dummies and, according to Yukino's scale of celestial mages, Lucy is on a whole new level of her own. She can summon up to six lesser spirits and can summon the Spirit King, his paladin, Loke, and another one called Aquarius all at once. It's mystifying just how strong they became. I don't even know how it happened, they won't divulge just how it happened and say very little about those missing years." I said and saw Sting slouch and pout, upset by the fact that Natsu was still way out of his league.

"What about the other members, like that other married couple?" He asked looking at me.

"Esoj and Nena, that's their names. Well, they are the second strongest duo they have, and they together were the two who actually killed Zeref. Natsu got stuck outside during the fighting and couldn't be there. Together, they could take on Natsu, maybe, definitely Lucy. They would beat us in a two on two showdown, and one on one is no good either. They are probably too much to do one on one, but the two of us together could very easily take them one by one. Very easily." I said and Sting nodded, putting that fact into his plans.

"Any others we should worry about?" He asked and I could only think about one thing, well two things or persons rather.

"Yeah, two more mages who remind me of us in a way. They both are really close, like us, and one uses light magic and the other shadow magic. But here's where the similarities end, they are both half demon. They were captured by Tartarus apparently back in the day and made into partial demons as an experiment. They were the only successes from it. Their names are Rai and Gōsuto, and they both work well together. But we could probably take them one on one if need be. They may be demons but they aren't invincible, we could take them." I said and he nodded, surprised by the parallels we shared with them.

"Good, very good. Any other good bits of information? The council is up my ass on this, they want Natsu in jail, they want him bad. Anything we could use? Anything to get him to surrender peacefully?" He asked and I immediately knew what we could use, but I felt bad doing it.

"Yes, there is one thing. They recently had a baby, a baby girl. They left her however behind in Naito with some people, including two dragons but one of those dragons can't fly anymore, the fire one Igneel. They also left some spirits behind too. None of the strong ones though so the place is relatively unguarded, we could, you know go there and take the baby. Use it as leverage to get Natsu to surrender himself." I said hestitantly and looked at Sting who looked like he was deep in thought, unsure of what he should do.

He waited a moment later before shaking his head back and forth, like giving the idea a final debate in his head before saying, "I don't see a better option. Alright. Let's do it." He got up and dusted himself off, and then helped me up before asking, "How long to Naito?"

I thought about it and said, "If we use my shadow transportation technique, maybe a few hours. Maybe less if I use dragon force. What should we do, conserve time or energy?"

Sting thought about it and then said, "Time. We need to hurry up. Now are you sure this is the only option?"

"The easiest one yes, and the one that could probably end all this today. Having some doubts?" I asked and hoped he would say yes, this way was the easiest but also the dirtiest way to do this, it made me feel physically dirty to be doing this to them.

"No, just making sure. Now let's go. You know how I hate wasting time and I don't Natsu catching up with us. Let's go, NOW." He said and emphasized the last part, but I could tell he didn't like this plan either, he would have preferred a straight up fight like any warm blooded male, but as it stands this was the best option.

We both walked to the exit and walked outside, blinded by the sun for a second as the room we were in was very dark, but our eyes soon adjusted and he grabbed my shoulders. Then I became the shadows and used them to travel, going into my dragon force so we could get there in about an hour. It felt extremely nostalgic, the two of us fighting together and living by our old adage, 'Live Together as Brothers or Die Together as Fools. We really are the epitome of ting and yang, light and dark and I like it this way.'

(POV Change to Lucy)

I watch as Juvia's fight continues and have a small smile on my face, 'Perfect. Absolutely perfect. This is going according to the plan. Yes, yes keep fighting you two. Show him what it feels like to suffer and not be understood... Wait. What is that?' I looked over the roof of the arena and see Sting and Rogue, clearly not fighting but instead walking away together. 'And now they are going somewhere. What is that direction? ...Wait. No. NO! NO NO NO! THE ONLY THING THAT WAY IS... HOSHI!'

I jump up from where I was sitting and start yelling my mind, 'NATSU! NATSU CAN YOU HEAR ME?! NATSU!' But it was to no avail, it was as if the telepathic link was cut off somehow, "MERN! MERN, WHERE ARE YOU?" I yell and check the lacrima to find that his room is now dark too, Mern and Karr nowhere to be seen.

'NO! Goddamn! I need to stop them! Sorry Natsu, but Hoshi comes first!' I think to myself and begin to gather magic to teleport to Hoshi's side but stop as i hear a loud explosion. I look and see that the room Juvia and Gray were in is now missing a wall, and Gray is running away with Juvia in hot pursuit. 'Where the fuck are they going? Wait, isn't that where... Oh dear gods no. There going to where they used to live! If they go there he might be able to show her that we were lying! Fuck! What do I do?'

Then as if the gods were listening, Rai and Gōsuto came up from their rooms, relatively unharmed and bagging on each other, laughing at each other like brothers always do. I run over to them and yell, "Rai and Gōsuto! I need your help!"

They stop laughing after hearing the panic in my voice, and Gōsuto asks, "What's wrong?"

I then tell them, "Rogue was a traitor! A double agent! He was never really on our side and now he's going to Naito with Sting in tow. He's going after my little Hoshi! I need you two to follow them and stop them! I have to stay here and help Juvia, please I need your..."

I never finished my plea for help as Rai and Gōsuto both looked at each other and Rai said, "Say no more. Our families are there too you know. We will leave immediately, you still have that connected shadow dimension?"

Gōsuto nodded and said, "Yeah, we can be there in an instant, let's go!" They looked at me and nodded as I fought back the tears of gratitude that threatened to leak out of my eyes, and Gōsuto reassured me, "Don't worry! We won't let them touch Hoshi! Rai hold on!"

Rai grabbed onto Gōsuto's shoulder and a second later they were gone, into Gōsuto's shadow dimensions. 'Thank you you two. Please hurry and protect her. Gods speed. Now, to deal with a certain estranged couple.' I gripped my keys tightly and ran in the direction Juvia and Gray had run off in, hoping I wasn't too late.

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**A/N: Dun dun dun! Props to brucie86 who totally called this twist! Surprised? Good. That's how I like you guys, on your toes at all times. if anyone noticed, lately the titles have seemed pretty thematic to the chapter right? Especially as of late, as I have taken to using famous quotes or quotes I have found as the title. I hope you guys like that and I hope you guys like the new summary, I know I do! Tell me your thoughts as always and, ****Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 56: The Scar is the Place Where the Light Enters You

**A/N: Hello! Wow, yesterday's day off was simply amazing! I actually got to take a long nap, three hours! YES! …Why am I talking about this? My inner monologue is a bit loopy when I'm tired and I have been very tired lately. But, I do have the energy for this! So the usual shout out time goes to SIX different people today, first for reviewing we have sashaXmafuyuFOREVER and brucie86 (As usual, thanks a lot for your support!), DazzTugz who also favorited the story ,so double shout out to you, and EliXY, thanks guys! And to Bruised Kunckles for the favorite, and a double shout out to .awesome who favorited and followed the story! Welcome to the family of followers! Now, ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

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Start of Battles (Rai POV)

I land on the roof and look at Gōsuto and say, "First one to finish their fight gets the loser as a servant for a whole day!"

"OH, you are so on!" Gōsuto yelled back and we both looked at the lacrima, seeing that our opponents were in the rooms adjacent of each other.

We get into a sprinting position and count out, "THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" We both take off sprinting and I yell, "Light Speed!" I go at an extremely fast speed and jump down the hole into the room Lyon is in. I get close to the bottom of the hole and I yell, "Light Wing!" and wings sprout from my back and I use them to stop my descent and fly above Lyon.

Lyon hears the fluttering of my wings and looks at me, asking, "What in the world?"

"Raitonekusasu, light mage. Nice to meet you Lyon Vastia." I said, surprised by how bad his scars on his face were, and he just looked at me, the scars adding an eeriness to him.

"You weren't on the list of possible targets. Did you just join recently?" He said and I deadpanned, but then quickly realized something.

"How many did you think there would be?" I asked and he looked at me, surprised by my question.

"Um, I think we expected six to seven. Not nine." He said and I was surprised by this admission, 'Wow. They really weren't ready for us. They only had the basic information on Rogue who was a high profile mage before he joined us. Guess even surprise was on our side, sucks to be them.' He looked at me and tilted his head, as if trying to get a better look at me, "Were you ever a dark mage, a bounty hunter for dark guilds? Part of some light and shadow mage duo?"

"Yes. The light and dark duo of Naito, or the demons of Naito as they called us." I said and he suddenly realized just who he was fighting.

"Oh shit…" He said and I couldn't help but smirk at him. 'Well, even though that was a while back people still recognize the title and the fear it created in people throughout all of Fiore, from Magnolia to Naito we were truly feared.'

"Oh? You know of me know?" I asked and got ready for his attack, ready to counter it and finish this quickly.

"Yeah, you guys tried to kidnap my master Ur, but failed due to her being killed by Deliora, right?" He asked and I was surprised, 'He was a pupil of Ur? Him and that Fullbuster kid? No wonder they are strong, she was a truly powerful mage that gave us fits for years, one of the few contracts we were never able to complete.' He then gripped his fist tightly and then looked up at me with determination, yelling, "Ice Make: Eagle!"

A pack of eagle, all made of ice appeared and flew at me, I moved and flew around them but they kept on me. They kept on me until I was forced to turn around and yell, annoyed by the eagles, "Light Beam!" A beam of light came forth from my hand and went towards the eagles, and hit them destroying them for good. I looked down and decided to make this a ground battle for now, so I yelled, "Light Meteor!" I charged at him, picking up speed like a meteor did when it came closer and closer to making impact.

I made impact and did so with my fist hitting him right where his scars were. I sent him flying back and let my wings dissolve, and I landed with a small sound, 'landing from about three feet in the air, doesn't even hurt. I wonder if he's out yet?'

I soon got my answer as Lyon got up from he landed and looked around for a minute, until he saw me and yelled, "Ice Make: Snow Dragon! Ice Make: Sword!" and a dragon, a very small one nowhere near the size of Igneel appeared, as did a sword of ice for Lyon to use. I looked at the dragon and sighed, and then proceeded to catch the dragon by its throat, side stepping it and grabbing the dragon's throat. I snapped its throat and looked at Lyon. He was already charging, the dragon a useful distraction for him to get close.

He brought up the sword to try and cut me, but I simply dodged it and actually caught his arms as they swung up and past me. I break his grip on the sword and kick the sword away as it falls to the ground, the sword lodging into the wall behind Lyon. Then I bring my knee up to his gut and knee him extremely hard, causing him to gasp in a soundless cry of pain. I let go his arms and punch him hard in the gut, causing him to finally make a sound and howl in pain as his eyes bulged from the pain.

I spun and was about to land a roundhouse kick that probably would have ended things, but Lyon yelled, "Ice Make: Shield!" and a shield stopped me mid kick. I jumped back a bit to get him to bring down his shield and I could attack him again. He did but was waiting for me, as he had prepared a spell and yelled, "Ice Make: Water Serpent!"

A snaked appeared, made entirely of ice, and it came at me. I put my hand out and yelled, "Light Beam!" Another beam of light appeared and destroyed the snake, and looked at Lyon, my glare icier than his magic and he felt it. 'This guy is annoying, but is he really Ur's pupil? He's so much weaker than I had hoped, but then again she probably never got a chance to finish training him as she died so early.'

He hesitated for a second and that's when I struck again, yelling, "Light Speed!" and I was upon him in a second. I punched him, using the momentum from the last spell to add even more power to my attack. I put my hand out as he flew away from me and yelled, "Light Pulse!" and seven balls of light came flying at him, hitting him. They kept hitting him one by one, not letting him land and he was pushed into the wall, where he was buried into for a moment before the spell ended and he fell forward. He landed on his hands and knees and looked up at me, panting heavily as that last spell did a lot of damage to him. I scoffed at him, surprised he was still up and then I was even more surprised as he charged at me.

He yelled, "Ice Make: Wolves!" and, surprisingly, no wolves actually appeared, instead ice coated his arm. He swung his arm, trying to hit me but the swing was wild, obviously more focused on power instead of his training. I dodged his swing and kept dodging, as he kept coming and coming, throwing haymakers left and right, uppercuts mixed in to try and surprise me but he just kept hitting the air. Eventually I grew bored of dodging and instead just caught his fist in my hand, easily stopping his assault but painfully so. 'Damn, his punches are heavy and the ice cut up my hand with it's sharp edges. Oh well, time to end this now. Goodbye Lyon, it was a blast.'

I pulled him towards me and elbowed him in the head, sending him straight into the ground. I jumped up and yelled, "Light Wings!" and my wings reappeared, allowing my to climb higher than before and giving me room for my finishing spell. After I felt I was high enough, I stopped flying upwards and put both my hand out in front of me, and gathered more magical power than usual. After I knew I had enough I yelled, "Secret Light Technique: LIGHT PILLAR!" and a circle formed beneath Lyon. Then a massive pillar of light came from where I was, above of Lyon and crashed down on him, crushing him in the face as he had turned around to look at me. 'So I guess the old saying is true, the scar is the place where the light enters you, especially when that light is me! Poor Lyon though, never even stood a chance did he? And he's always getting hit right in the face.'

After a moment more, the attack ended and I flew down to where he was and saw he was indeed unconscious. I sighed and went to walk out of the room when I heard, "Pow! Right in the kisser! Hahaha, a little slow there, my servant." I looked and saw Gōsuto standing at the exit and my jaw dropped at least twenty feet.

"WHAT?! HOW ARE YOU DONE ALREADY?" I asked, yelling at him as he just kept on laughing at me.

"Well, even though I had two I didn't waste any time. I went demon mode on them from the start and they never stood a chance. You probably could have won though, if you didn't let him try and hit you for the past five minutes, I mean honestly you just let him try and hit you." He said as we walked out of the rooks we were in and went outside, making our way topside like we were supposed to.

"What? I just wanted him to feel better since he got one-shotted last time he fought with Nena. I mean, did you see those scars, that was nasty! Man she really did a number on him. Did you know he was Ur's pupil though? She was one of our first contracts back in the day, and one of the few we never collected on." I said and he nodded his head at the memory, one of the few times we failed as a team.

"Yeah, but thinking about it, we were fifteen when we took that job, and not nearly as strong as we are now, I doubt we could have taken her." He said and I had to nod in agreement, 'She was an extremely powerful mage back then, I doubt any simple bounty hunter could have taken her down.' Then Gōsuto looked at me and said, "But as for Lyon, he was ugly as you man. Geez, and I thought Tsume was crazy blind. He is one ugly mother fucker. How can girls still swoon over him?"

"Because he's a guild mage who is famous, fame always precedes beauty for some reason." I said and Gōsuto nodded, then started laughing.

"I guess that's why it took so long to get married huh?" He said and I had to agree, and was laughing with him until we reached the roof.

Then we saw Lucy run up towards us and say very quickly, almost a mumble, "Rai and Gōsuto! I need your help!"

We stop laughing after hearing the panic in her voice, and Gōsuto asks, "What's wrong?"

So she then tells us, "Rogue was a traitor! A double agent! He was never really on our side and now he's going to Naito with Sting in tow. He's going after my little Hoshi! I need you two to follow them and stop them! I have to stay here and help Juvia, please I need your..."

We never let her finish her plea for help as we both looked at each other and I said, "Say no more. Our families are there too you know. We will leave immediately, you still have that connected shadow dimension?"

Gōsuto nodded and said, "Yeah, we can be there in an instant, let's go!" We looked at me and nodded as she fought back the tears of gratitude that threatened to leak out of her eyes, and Gōsuto reassured her, "Don't worry! We won't let them touch Hoshi! Rai grab on!"

I grabbed onto Gōsuto's shoulder and a second later we were gone, into Gōsuto's shadow dimensions. 'I just hope we can get there soon, before them. Or else it's all too late, for everyone. Hold on Tsume!'

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**A/N: (Yawn) Well that was fun. Sorry I was so late in uploading this, I got a bit side tracked today but I hope you guys like it! As always, Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 57: If you expect nothing, you will never be disappointed

**A/N: So I said tentative schedule right? Hahahaha, sorry guys I had a lot of stuff happening yesterday so I was not able to do any writing. But here we go! First shout out time! Today we have nicrocks18 who favorited and followed the story! And of course the constant shout out, sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for the review! Now, on with the story! ENJOY!**

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Start of Battles (Gōsuto POV)

I land on the roof and look at Gōsuto and who says, "First one to finish their fight gets the loser as a servant for a whole day!"

"OH, you are so on!" I yelled back and we both looked at the lacrima, seeing that our opponents were in the rooms adjacent of each other.

We get into a sprinting position and count out, "THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" We both take off sprinting and he yells, "Light Speed!" and he speeds away from me and I yell at him, "HEY! No fair! You can go at the speed of light! Fuck you!" I ran a little faster and reach my hole soon after, jumping down immediately and turning so I begin to nosedive towards the ground. 'Well, I get a round two at these fools. They wasted my time with them last time so I don't expect much if anything from them. Yeah no, I don't expect anything, nothing really is the word here. Why am I fighting them again? Huh, no clue huh. Oh well, let's get this over with.'

I land creating a massive crater in the ground, and catching the attention of the Fernandes couple. I stand up and look at them, and ask them, "Do you remember my name? Awww, where is the little girl? She too scared to fight again?"

The red-head, Erza, glares at me and says with so much hate dripping out of her voice I would have though I killed her puppy or something, "You. I remember who you are, but not your name, you bastard. And as for Wendy, I will never forgive for what you have put her through!" She then requips into what I know to be her purgatory armor and she charges at me faster than I had anticipated of her. I dodge and smirk, liking the progress I see from her.

"The name's Gōsuto, and what exactly did I do to this Wendy? Did I really mess her up that badly?" I ask annoyingly, trying to make her even angrier than before and see all the progress she had made. She keeps swinging her massive sword and pushes me back with the size of her sword and her improved speed. Then the man, Jellal, joins the action and swings at the back of my head, but I sensed him coming and dodged his fist.

Then I began my attack, as while I dodged I kicked backwards and nailed him in the gut sending stumbling backwards. Then I brought my hand up and caught the sword that Erza swung at me and pulled it towards me. This caused her to stumble forward where I punched her in the gut. Then as she stumbled and staggered to the floor where I punched her in the jaw. Her head snapped away from my fist and she fell to the ground. I smirked at how weak she still was, no longer disappointed in the famous Titania as I expected nothing from her.

I look at her and then I remember about the girl, as I feel somewhat guilty for what happened to her, 'I may have only shown them my dick, fighter side of me, but I do have a heart.' So I ask her again, this time much more seriously, "What happened to the girl that makes you hate me so much?"

She stood and requiped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, and says, "She left. She had to leave, she couldn't walk outside without seeing what scared her the most. The shadows. Whenever she saw one, she would start screaming at it, yelling for YOU not hurt her anymore and to leave her alone. She was placed into a mental institution in Crocus, where her progress is slow. She may never be able to go outside again, all thanks to YOU. So, you tell me why I hate you so much."

I felt my heart sink and never had felt so guilty about anything in my entire life. 'What have I done? I knew I went too far before but I never thought I went that far. A mental institution patient at her age? Damn, what have I done, to someone so young and with so much potential to heal, I left her scarred and now useless to society. What do I do…?' As I thought about it while I allowed my guilt to show on my face and I said quietly, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I know this will never fix what I did, but I had to say this. Know that I will live with the guilt of my horrendous act forever, but that must finish this. So, I will grant you guys a quick…"

I never finished my apology as suddenly Erza started yelling like she saw her baby die or something, then she yelled to her husband, "Jellal! It's happening again! Help! I can's see!" I looked at her concerned for a moment before I remember that she temporarily lost all five of her sense when she fought Kyouka.

"ERZA! I'm right here! ERZA! LOOK AT ME!" Jellal yelled but it was to no avail, she couldn't hear him she was having an episode right now. 'Wow. This guild has some messed up people. Nena, Esoj, and Natsu are the only people who are fighting normal people anymore. Well, I guess since this is only going to get more awkward if I stay here, I'll just end this now.'

I look at them and take a deep breath. I begin to gather more magical energy than usual for an attack and then yell at them, no actual words or emotion behind, just a yell as I feel my body change. I can feel the shadows around me begin to cover me in a cloak, and soon enough I look like a shadow. A living breathing shadow that could kill you with just a look, shadow demon phase one.

I see Jellal looking at me like I had just grown a second head or something so I ask, "What? You see something wrong with me?"

He just keeps looking at me and I tell that Erza regains her sight and the rest of her senses as she looks at me with the same face and asks, "Are you a demon?"

"Yes! Very good! Your experiences with Tartarus have really given you an insight into how to tell who's a demon and who isn't! But in reality I'm only a half demon, created by Tartarus's demon machines. I hope you understand just how fucked you guys are, because we, my friend Rai and I, broke out of Tartarus as the only survivors of an experiment, to see just how powerful of a demon they could make from an already powerful mage such as ourselves. Well, good night, sweet dreams." I charged at them so much faster compared to how fast they were going that they didn't even see me. I reached them and immediately put my hand in front of Jellal and yelled, "Shadow Beam!" A beam came from the shadows of my hand and hit Jellal square in the chest, sending him flying away from me. I the turned to Erza who had requiped into her Nakagami Armor and tried to attack me. I grabbed the spear in her hands as she tried to strike me and I pull it away from her, throwing it away from where we were.

She looks at me surprised that my body, which was all magic right now as I had turned it into shadows. "I told you the last time, your special armor is not gonna work on me, I am not comprised of normal magic, I AM A DEMON! My magic is almost supernatural in nature, your special armor is useless." I grab her by the throat and squeeze a bit, and lift her up. I look her in the eyes, seeing how disappointed in herself she was, and I think, 'You should never expect anything, you won't get disappointed that way.' Then I throw her into the ground back first, and as she lands she bounces back up a bit. I imbue my fist with shadows, whispering, "Shadow Hammer." my fist then comes down and hits her in the face, breaking her nose and knocking her out cold.

I sigh as I stand up and see that Jellal is in the wall, his feet sticking out from it and he is not moving too much but is definitely alive. I walk out of the room, not in the slightest bit disappointed by how boring that was as my saying held true. 'No expectations, no need for disappointment, I just hope Rai didn't finish already or else I will never hear the end of this.'

I entered Rai's room and saw that he was still fighting Lyon but saw that he was finishing up. He pulled Lyon towards himself and elbowed him in the head, sending Lyon straight into the ground. Rai jumped up and yelled, "Light Wings!" and his wings appeared, allowing him to climb higher than he was before when he jumped, giving him room for his finishing spell. After he felt he was probably high enough, he stopped flying upwards and put both of his hands out in front of himself, and gathered more magical power than usual. After he thought he had enough I yelled, "Secret Light Technique: LIGHT PILLAR!" and a circle formed beneath Lyon. Then a massive pillar of light came from where Lyon was, above of Lyon's head, and crashed down on him, crushing him in the face as he had turned around to look up at Rai.

After a moment more, the attack ended and he flew down to where Lyon was and saw that he was indeed unconscious. Rai sighed and went to walk out of the room when he heard me yell, "Pow! Right in the kisser! Hahaha, a little slow there, my servant." He looked and saw I was standing at the exit and his jaw dropped at least twenty feet.

"WHAT?! HOW ARE YOU DONE ALREADY?" he asked, yelling at me as I just kept on laughing at him.

"Well, even though I had two I didn't waste any time. I went demon mode on them from the start and they never stood a chance. You probably could have won though, if you didn't let him try and hit you for the past five minutes, I mean honestly you just let him try and hit you." I said as we walked out of the rooks we were in and went outside, making our way topside like we were supposed to.

"What? I just wanted him to feel better since he got one-shotted last time he fought with Nena. I mean, did you see those scars, they were nasty! Man she really did a number on him. Did you know he was Ur's pupil though? She was one of our first contracts back in the day, and one of the few we never collected on." He said and I nodded my head at the memory, one of the few times we failed as a team.

"Yeah, but thinking about it, we were fifteen when we took that job, and not nearly as strong as we are now, I doubt we could have taken her." I said and we had to nod in agreement, 'She was an extremely powerful mage back then, I doubt any simple bounty hunter could have taken her down.' Then I looked at him and said, "But as for Lyon, he was ugly as you man. Geez, and I thought Tsume was crazy blind. He is one ugly mother fucker. How can girls still swoon over him?"

"Because he's a guild mage who is famous, fame always precedes beauty for some reason." He said and I nodded, then started laughing.

"I guess that's why it took so long to get married huh?" I said and he agreed, and was laughing with him until we reached the roof.

Then we saw Lucy run up towards us and say very quickly, almost a mumble, "Rai and Gōsuto! I need your help!"

We stop laughing after hearing the panic in her voice, and I ask, "What's wrong?"

So she then tells us, "Rogue was a traitor! A double agent! He was never really on our side and now he's going to Naito with Sting in tow. He's going after my little Hoshi! I need you two to follow them and stop them! I have to stay here and help Juvia, please I need your..."

We never let her finish her plea for help as we both looked at each other and Rai said, "Say no more. Our families are there too you know. We will leave immediately, you still have that connected shadow dimension?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah, we can be there in an instant, let's go!" We looked at each her and nodded as she fought back the tears of gratitude that threatened to leak out of her eyes, and I reassured her, "Don't worry! We won't let them touch Hoshi! Rai grab on!"

Rai grabbed onto my shoulder and a second later we were gone, into my shadow dimensions. 'I just hope we can get there soon, before them. Or else it's all too late, for everyone. Hold on Mei!'

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**A/N: Whew. That was fun! I feel bad doing this to Wendy, but I wanted to show that Gōsuto does indeed have a soul so I made him feel bad for what he did to her. And as for Erza I don't really know why but I really don't like how she is so powerful in the main series. I guess because she always just uses her "Power of Friendship" to get a power boost instead of actually being talented, so I find her up grades as fan service. And I am not a hug fan of fan service as I feel it detracts from the story's plot. Sorry for jumping on my soap box here, but I just wanted to say that, so Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 58: Proving Who's The Better of Us

**A/N: HOLY SHIT! DID YOU GUYS READ THE MANGA?! HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT, SHIT THAT IS HOLY! IT JUST DESTROYED MY PICTURE OF LUMEN HISTORIE AND FINALLY GAVE US AN ANSWER AS TO WHAT IT IS! SHIT THAT AWESOME! AND NOW I HAVE EVEN MORE QUESTIONS I MUST HAVE THE ANSWER TO! QUICK SOMEONE FIND ME HIRO AND THEN KIDNAP HIM FOR ME! THEN WE'LL ASK HIM ALL THE ANSWERS WE DESIRE! ACTUALLY WAIT, DON'T DO THAT. THAT WOULD BE ILLEGAL. Right so yeah, I just had to yell about it for a moment. So back off the soap box, shout out to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER as always for the review! Thanks! Now, the battles will be getting serious and actually will be good fights from here on out. So here we go! ENJOY!**

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Start of Battles (Nena POV)

I land on the roof next to Esoj and look him in the eye, we lock eyes with each other and nod our goodbye and good luck and our stay safe to each other, not a single word needed. We walk to the lacrima and I see that Jura is in the room that is the second biggest room of all the rooms and know that it just gives us more room to destroy stuff. I see that Esoj is on the opposite side of the arena and watch as he runs off, about to engage in a battle with a man who had earned his respect and a legend who was washed up now. 'He's going to have some trouble with them, I can already tell. And not only that but… ugh I just have a bad feeling about all this. Something's not right here. Oh well, I have an actual fight ahead of me this time, I'm sure of it.'

I run over to the hole, which leads down to the awaiting challenger, and jump down into the frying pan. I reach the room's floor rather quickly as the room we were fighting seems to be higher… 'Wait a minute. We made all the rooms on the same level. There shouldn't be any rooms that are taller than other ones. Shit.'

Then the earth beneath me came flying up and almost crushed me; almost. I threw my hands up at the last second yelling, "Tierra Firma!", and earth came out of my hands. The earth stopped the what I now recognized to be Jura's Iron Rock from crushing me and I used the earth to push back the rock away from me. Then I saw Jura standing there before me, still bald and tall, but now much more serious and old looking. 'Man, did I really mess up his back that badly? He looks so stiff now, so rigid, so upright. This better not affect his fighting anymore, or else we won't get to see who's the better fighter. I would hate to waste my time, especially since I get a bad feeling with Esoj, like something might happen to him.'

"Oh, Madre you really should pay attention to me, just because you won the first time means nothing." Jura said breaking my reverie and regaining my attention to him and the fight that I was about to start. I looked and saw that instead of being on level ground, I was now looking up at him, surprised that he was able to move the ground so easily. "Surprised? I have been working hard this past year so I can win this fight, and I will win this fight. I must. For Lyon!"

He got into a fighting position and waited a moment as I said, "Wait. Two things, first: let us exchange names, and our real names not my codename. Second: how is that back of yours? I hope that it doesn't impede your fighting capabilities."

He looked at me surprised for a moment before nodding and saying, "My name is Jura Neekis. And my back is just fine, you'll see just how fine soon enough. Now, what is your name?"

I smirk and say, "Nena Anoren. I hail from La Empieza and, as a bonus for playing along, I'll tell you a secret. You see, Natsu didn't actually kill Zeref, he was supposed to, but my husband and I killed him. Now, die." As soon as I finished and saw that Jura's jaw was close to being a door it was so wide open. I used his shock to my advantage and jumped up to where he was and kicked him in the face, causing his head to follow the path of my foot. But before he flew away from the force of my kick I grab his beard and pull him towards me. I knee him in the jaw, hard, and his head goes up a bit. But not as much as I thought it would. Then I see that he had stopped my knee with his hand and had put his special rock on his hands to help stop my knee. I jump back as he swings his iron rock encrusted hands at me, barely avoiding them as he was faster than I thought. Then he stood up slightly and looked at me, smirking, and said in a voice so quiet I thought I missed it, "Iron Rock Brace: Release."

Then I saw rocks falling out from his pants and I realize that he had a brace on his back to help support him, and it had made him slower than before. 'Well shit, this might actually be fun.'

Then he charged at me so quickly I was taken aback a bit and was even more surprised as he punched me in the jaw, sending me flying away.

(POV Change to Jura)

I watch as Nena, so she calls herself, fly away and land in the wall. She made a large crater but seemed more surprised than actually hurt as she soon got down from the wall and looked at me, pleasantly surprised. 'What is with her? She never seems to get rattled by anything I do, how does she do that? I just got her real good after she surprised me and she doesn't even care, or so it would seem. Is she… happy that I have improved? Oh now I get it! She wants a good rematch like she promised me she would give me, oh now I'm excited!'

"YES! This is what I wanted to see! I see your back is just fine, so let's step it up. Fuego del Diablo!" She yelled and fire came forth and covered her hands, then she charged at me. I got ready and soon enough she was close enough for us to start trading blows, and we began our exchange. We each land a hit to each other's gut and then I land one on her side, but she lands one right in my kidney. I groan from the pain and punch her in the jaw, but only land a grazing blow as she ducked and tried to land a kick to my knee but blocked her with my shin. We struggled trying to gain the upper hand as our legs struggled to gain ground on the other. Then we eventually pushed each other back and looked at each other, a wild look in our eyes as we both had the rush of the battle in us.

I then feel my side heating up and I look to see that my robe is on fire, so I just rip off the upper half of my robe, revealing my sculpted body. I looked at her, she just shrugged and said, "My husband has a better body. But who cares? Let's fight!"

I nod and put hands in front of me and yell, "Talus: Strike!" and the usual attack of iron rock poles come forward but they all head straight to her, more specifically her head. She puts her hand up and yells, "Acero!" and a wall of steel blocks my poles. Then she yells, "Terremoto!" and punches the ground. The ground opens up and shakes, like a mini earthquake, and the opening comes towards me. I jump up and avoid the earthquake and yell down at her, "Iron Rock Fist!", my signature attack of iron rock forming into a fist and flying towards her.

She sees it and dodges it, rolling away from the attack and she pops back up, yelling, "Pistola de Aceite! Pistola de Fuego!" Oil and fire shoot out from her hands and come at me, combining together to make a makeshift flamethrower. The flames came at me quickly as I landed and I yelled, "Iron Rock Mountain!" and a mountain shot up, protecting me from the flames. I hear the flames go past the mountain and I let the mountain disappear, but don't see Nena anywhere. I look up and don't see her anywhere, then behind me as well but still don't see her. 'If not above or behind or to the side, then…'

A hand shoots up from the ground, grabbing my ankle, and it's on fire, then hand pulls me down and I am surprised by the fact that she can do that. 'I guess on top of creating elements she can destroy them… no wait. This is where I lowered the ground, she must have raised it up partially earlier when I was airborne and she created that earthquake. Damn, she's still really fast.'

Then I find that I am only able to see the ground now and find that she buried me in the earth, with only my head above the ground. "Iron Rock Shell!" I yell and my body gains armor, making me bigger so I can slip out of the ground and back to normal leveled ground. 'My ankle is burnt and hurt, but I can still move around well enough. I should be fine, but I should keep the iron rock shell on. It'll help stabilize the ankle a bit better. But I should be careful, I don't know what else she has up her sleeve.'

(POV Change Back to Nena)

'Well, there goes the last of my trickery for now. I am fresh out of attack ideas that he hasn't seen, man I should have been better prepared for this, damn you procrastination! But, hey I still am stronger as of right now and he just put on that iron rock shell of his, making him slower than before. I should be fine. Just can't let him land a clean blow… Better armor up myself.' "Cuerpo de Acero!" I yelled and the top layer of my skin changed, becoming armor, 'Glad I'm not solely restricted to making elements, but rather changing an elements atoms so that it is a different element. This makes everything easier.'

I look at Jura and smirk at his surprise as I remember he has never seen this and I know he thought he knew how my magic worked. I charged at him, still surprisingly fast and agile, and land a kick to his knee, my armor making the blow stronger. He buckles for a second but as I go to throw a punch his hand comes up and blocks my fist, grabbing it. 'Oh shit. This might hurt a bit.' He pulled me close to him, and punches me in the gut then lands an uppercut to my jaw. I fly upwards, just flying upwards for a moment before I spin mid air, regaining control of my body. I did not a moment too soon either, as he jumped up to punch me but instead got a fist full of steel. He quickly recovered and we started trading blows again. I land a blow on his chin, but then he lands one on my side. Then I land one in his gut as he lands one at junction of my shoulder and neck, then we both land one on each other's chin as we land and push each other away from the other. We both then begin the exchange again, and block each other blows with the same attack until we both punch each other's fist and stay locked up like that.

"Not bad baldie, but you seem a bit tired already. What, your old age getting to you now?" I asked sarcastically as we both struggled for dominance, our fist struggling to finish their intended punch.

"Nah, just wondering how I should celebrate when I win. Should I go and beat your husband next, or just take a nap, because as you say I am older." He said sarcastically, trying to get under my skin of steel, but I didn't bite. Eventually we both stopped the deadlock and swing the other arm forward, connecting with each other's jaw, but I can feel his jaw cracking slightly.

'I guess steel beats rock, even iron rock. This might end soon if he doesn't use that last technique he used last time, because I'm still running on more than half a tank of energy. Him, not so much no matter what he says.'

(POV Change Back to Jura)

'Damn it! She broke a jaw bone. Not a very big fracture I can tell, but she isn't getting tired as fast as I am. I don't know what to do now. I could use Iron Rock: Body Change, but I haven't tried that since our last battle and I don't know how that would affect my back. But, I may not have much of a choice here, I'm running out of energy here and I can already feel the fatigue in my back. Damn, I may be stronger, but long fights don't suit me well anymore, I can't maintain my speed lie I used to. Shit, here she comes!'

She charges at me again and punches me in the gut before I can stop her, and then she grabs beard before I fall backwards from the force of her blow. Then she tugs hard on my beard and I lunge forward, she punches me in the face using the momentum of me being pulled forward to add to her punch. I feel a cheek bone crack, and she lets go of my beard as she punched me, sending me flying. I hit the wall back first but feel no other pain than hitting the wall.

'Huh, that should have hurt more than usual since I hit my back so hard, but it didn't. Maybe I can use, Iron Rock: Body Change, no problem. Well, it's not like I have a choice anymore, I can't win like this it's impossible now. Well, I guess it's down to my last ditch effort again.' I stand up and look at her, calling out to her and asking, "How much magical energy have you used up?"

"Well, since keeping this armor on constantly saps my energy little by little, and the fact that we have fought pretty closely as well, I would say sixty percent as of right now. Maybe a little less or more, not really sure. Not since my battle with Zeref have I been pushed this far. So well done." She answered and I nodded to her, thanking her for the compliment.

"Unfortunately, all that is good must come to an end, as this will soon. You know my trump card, but can you stop it? Iron Rock: Body Change!" I yelled and I felt my bones and body change shape. I feel myself become one with my magic and look at Nena, calculating how long I have in this form. 'I'm down to thirty percent probably, so I'd say ten minutes or so. Hopefully my back can handle the stress this form causes it or else I will lose again. Better make this quick!'

I charge at her and lead with my shoulder, but she jumps up and avoids me. I look up and yell, "Talus!" and iron rock poles shoot up at her and she yells, "Pierdas Calientes!" Lava appears and melts the poles, and they disappear as the last of the lava falls down. I side step the lava and watch as she lands near me. I look her way and yell, "Rumbling Mt. Fuji!" The ground beneath her explodes with a surge of magical energy, and it goes up into the sky but I see that she is not in the magical energy. 'Eight Minutes to go, I can do this!'

I look around and see she is nowhere to be seen. I remember what happened earlier and punch the ground with all my might and split the ground open. But she's not there and I look above me and see no one there. 'Where…' "Shit."

"Shit indeed." She said coolly from behind me and punches me in the back and lands another one in the kidney before I can stop her. She then lands one more punch to where she broke my back the first time, but this time it feels funny. I look and see that her knuckles had brass knuckles, well steel knuckles, on them on top of the armor and I realize she had planned that. 'Fuck! That one hurt! Better hurry, she might have re-aggravated the injury and cost me time. I'll drop the timer to four minutes! Let's go!'

I turn and grab her, her face giving away the fact that she was surprised that I could still move, "It may have been broken once, but that won't be enough to do it this time. Have a nice flight." I said as I threw her away and she did go on a long flight, going all the way to the opposite end of the room and hitting the wall hard. But it seemed to barely affect her as she just got up and charged back at me. 'Three minutes, I have to hurry!'

I start charging at her as well and feel my back getting sore, and I know this has to be the last exchange as I am going to run out of endurance soon enough. We reach other and we begin the final exchange. I land a blow to her knee with my leg, but she doesn't buckle and instead lands a blow to my rib cage with her leg. Then so fast I barely have to time to react, she punches me in the jaw and then follows that up with a stomp to my knee. I buckle as I feel the fatigue is getting to the point where I can barely move. Then the battled ends, at least symbolically as my body changes back to normal and I fall to my knees. "No… no not yet. I was so much closer this time." I say dejectedly and I think and realize, that last exchange was too much.

"You're right you were close, but still no cigar baldie. But at least this fight was fun this time, I actually had to use almost all my power that was like ninety percent. Very well done." She said and then she punched me on the head, and then I was unconscious, not quite as disappointed as the last time but still a bit disappointed.

(POV Change Back to Nena)

I look at Jura as falls down face first and knew he was out cold. I sigh and let the armor fall away from me, and feel the cool air of the room hit my skin again. 'Wow, that was a lot harder than I had hoped. But I proved that I was the better of us, the better mage for today. Better get upstairs and see how everything else is going.' I walk outside and go up the hidden stairs in the back of the arena and reach the roof. But I don't see Lucy like I was supposed to, and I look and don't see anyone there. 'What happened? Did Juvia fuck something up? Fuck.' I run over to the lacrima and see that the only battles that I can see still going on are Esoj's and Natsu's.

Then I hear an explosion behind, looking to find the city frozen and partially destroyed. 'Found Lucy and Gray. Better go and help Esoj so we can help Lucy, or Natsu but he looks like he is still well in control of his fight.' I turn to leave and then suddenly I sense people there and turn to them. But I never see who it is, as they are on me before I can see them and they hit me on the head. They hit me hard as I feel myself slipping into unconsciousness from the blow and general fatigue. But I do hear who it is as one says, "Come on Karr, we should get the next one before we go after the other two."

'Mern! You bastard, Esoj was right about you, you weren't to be trusted! Fuck…' I fully fall unconscious and pray that Esoj and everyone else will be alright.

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**A/N: DUN DUN DUN! Whew! Sorry this is so late tonight but it was necessary as that got intense for a minute there. I hope you guys liked it and, ****Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 59: Welcome to the Club!

**A/N: Hey everyone! Gonna be quick here, shout out to brucie86 and sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for the review, and to Syra Evermist for the follow. Now, I hope you guys can do math, because if you check the schedule we are down to five fights, FIVE. Then after that some nice tidying up chapters and then we're done. DONE. Do not fret, there will be more to come, maybe, but for now, ENJOY! Oh but first just as background, the battle between Jura and Nena last chapter was about half an hour long, shorter than you thought huh? Well trust me it is important to know, so now ENJOY!**

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I land on the roof next to Nena and look her in the eye, we lock eyes with each other and nod our goodbye and good luck and our stay safe to each other, not a single word needed. We walk to the lacrima and I see that my duo is in the room that is the second smallest room of all the rooms and know that it is bad news as there is no room to destroy stuff, one of my specialties. I see that Nena is on the opposite side of the arena and she watches as I run off, about to engage in a battle with a man who had earned his respect and a legend who was washed up now. 'Don't worry babe, I got this. Don't worry about me, I can take care of them. Trust me. Good luck.'

I reach the hole to my room and jump down, reaching the room soon after and see that the duo are arguing about something, "…Shit old man, are you serious! You can't just do as you please! We got put together to work together! NOT so you could try and relive your glory days! You can't just up and leave to go and find someone!" Gajeel yelled at the older one, who's auburn hair had begun to gray and makes him look much older than the last time I saw him.

"Fuck yes I can! She hurt my little baby and permanently making her a non fighting mage, A NON FIGHTING MAGE! She almost completely destroyed her confidence in her magic, and now she isn't even showing up to the guild but instead she's at bars drinking away her sadness! She's completely gone off the rails and its because of what Lucy did to her! And I helped train Lucy! I helped destroy my daughter's confidence!" Gildarts, I do believe, said.

"Oh would you get over that. Honestly, its not your fault that she went and joined her husband's, HER HUSBAND'S, group because she loved him and agreed with him. It's all our faults for driving Natsu away all those years ago, not any one person's fault." Gajeel said but seemed to not be heard.

"Yeah, so you say. I don't care about what happened with Natsu, Lucy was a grown woman and could make her own decisions. Which she did and it hurt my family, and I could have done something, I helped her! Now don't try and stop me, the guy we are supposed to fight isn't even here." He said and made to leave.

"Wow, there. I'm right here! Thanks for noticing by the way." I said and they both looked at me, and Gajeel gulped audibly knowing he was in a for a heck of a fight that he probably could never win. I looked at them both and saw the polar opposites in their belief of my strength, Gildarts thinking I was a fly in his way and Gajeel who knew how strong I actually was.

"Great. Now move, I'm leaving." Gildarts said and I charged him so fast he barely even saw me and I ended up next to him, leaning near his ear.

"Now, now. Why don't you stay and play for a bit. My name is Esoj Anoren, what's yours?" I said and punched him in the gut and then kicked him in the jaw, his head came flying up and as soon as it was in reach I punched him in the jaw. He went flying and I could feel some of his bones crack as my fist made contact, "Wow, I just punched him with my fist and his jaw almost broke. He really is feeling like he's fifty three, in the decline of his career. I wonder if he gets up again.'

I look and find Gildarts shaking his head, shocked by the fact that he just got owned in a matter of seconds. He got up gingerly and looked at me and charged, but I saw him coming from the moment he tried that and beat him to the punch. Literally as I got up close and personal again and punched him in the side, then the kidney, then the jaw, then the gut, and finished my attack with a blow to the head and he sputtered for a second. Then he fell to his knees and was bloodied, breathing heavily from my assault. He looked at me sideways and said meekly as he began to fade into unconsciousness, "Gildarts Clive."

I nodded and saw as he fell face first to the ground, and stopped moving. I walked over to him and kicked his side to see if he was out, he was but didn't look like he was breathing either. I used my foot and rolled him over, then check if he was breathing and he was, thankfully as last time Natsu almost flipped his shit that I killed my opponent. 'I hope he will be ok, I have seen what getting owned like this does to a man's confidence.'

"Oil. Don't forget there's two of us here." Gajeel said and sounded like he was close. He was. He had come up right next to me and used my surprise to land the first blow of our battle, punching me in the gut. I took the hit and grimaced as he was definitely using his steel dragon mode already. I jumped back a bit and took a ball of steel that Nena created for me and yelled, "Nudillo de Acero!" and steel knuckles formed from the ball. I landed and charged back at Gajeel and we started trading blows, each matching blow for blow. I would land one in his gut and he would land one on my cheek, and so on and so forth. It went on for a few moment more before our fist hit the other's fist and we were deadlocked. "Gajeel Redfox!" Gajeel said and I smirked as I knew what he wanted.

"Esoj Anoren!" I yelled back and we separated, having exchanged names and locked fists. We both stared each other down, and then both threw our hand up and yelled simultaneously, "Steel Dragon's Club!" "Ballas de Acero! Escudo de Acero!" My shield of steel appeared as did bullets of steel that flew at Gajeel as his club hit my shield. To my surprise, he didn't dodge the bullets but instead ate them and I remembered that he can eat metal. 'Fuck. Ballas is out of the question then. As is anything that he can grab and then eat. Hmmm, I could go to another type of element or just try and be careful. Hmmm, wait I can use ironwood! Just like Warrod used! Yes!'

"Bastón de Madera!" I yelled and a staff of ironwood appeared, 'Ironwood is the strongest wood known to man and this is what I'll use against him.' I looked at him and he looked at me, then we charged again. "Steel Dragon's Sword!" he yelled and his hand became a sword with spinning metal teeth like a saw. We reached each other and started attacking each other with our weapons, blocking each other at every move, not able to land a clean blow. The he came down with his sword right in the middle of my staff and came down hard, cutting the staff in half. I jumped back a bit and looked at my ruined staff, seeing that cut was clean and the staff still actually had some use for me. I grabbed each end of the two parts of my staff and now had two mini staffs, so I charged again and we started trading blows again. But now I had more weapons than him and was able to use that fact to land some hits on him, using one to occupy his sword and then hit him in the side with the other. I kept doing that for a few minutes until Gajeel leaned back and yelled, "Steel Dragon's Roar!" A burst of steel came at me and I had to dodge, rolling away from him and looking at him as he stood upright.

"Nice. Nice try." I say and he smirks at me and bows mockingly and does his weird gihee thing, although my laugh is not normal either. I then remember something I wanted to ask him and say, "Hey Gajeel, I have a deal for you. If you win, Nena and I will leave Fiore and go home to La Empieza forever, and we leave Ronin. BUT if I win, then you and your family join Ronin and leave Fairy Tail, becoming full fledged Ronin on the spot. Deal?"

(POV Change to Gajeel)

I look at Esoj in disbelief, 'Did he really just make that bet with me? Why? But hmmm, if I win I do what I'm supposed to do and secure my place among the greats of Fiore. The man who defeated the man who killed Zeref, yeah I like that title. And even if I lose, I get to join a group of elite mages who, if they win and become a legal guild, will replace Fairy Tail as the strongest guild Fiore. It's a win-win really. Well then, I guess the why doesn't matter, just the fact that he proposed it does.' I recover and smirk at him, saying, "Deal. But I hope your not too used to Fiore just yet, because when I win you'll be going home."

"Ha! You're a jokester Gajeel. Thinking you can win, how cute. But we both know who the winner will be: me." He said coolly and charged again, and we started trading blows again, but this time I wised up. I purposefully stopped his staff with my sword, and then pushed his hand and staff away and put my hand next to his gut and yelled, "Steel Dragon's Club!" His signature club came forth and extended, hitting him in the gut so hard I swore he saw stars. He stumbled away from me and I kept on the attack. I swung my sword at him a bit wildly and he used that wildness to his advantage, ducking underneath it and coming up with his staff right into my chin. My jaw shut closed as I had had my mouth open to yell and my head shot upwards towards the sky. Then with his staff he swept up my legs and I was parallel to the ground for a second, then he elbowed me in the gut with more strength than usual.

I crashed into the ground and created a small crater from the impact and groaned out in pain. I got up quickly though, as I knew if I wasted any time he would pounce on me and I quickly went on the attack this time. I swing under control this time and barely miss his chest as he was surprised by my quick recovery and jumped back a bit. He looked at me and yelled "Lanzallamas!" and fire spouted from his mouth and came right at me like Natsu's roar. 'Shit!' I rolled back a bit and yelled, "Iron Dragon's Roar!" and my signature roar came out and met his fire. The result was a massive magical explosion and we both we're thrown back a bit. Since the room is so small, however, we both hit the wall and hit it hard.

I groan as my back is now sore but I stand up regardless, as does he and we both walk back to the middle of the room. We then charge again, and meet in the middle and begin trading blows with each other, as our weapons are now gone. We each connect with a blow to the jaw and then to the gut. Then we both start blocking each other's blows and keep going for what feels like hours, but in reality it's only a few minutes. 'Huh, how long have we been doing this for? Hmmm, well after the whole Gildarts thing… Huh, maybe thirty minutes total right now. Fuck!' I feel his fist hit me in the face, as I distracted myself and he pounced on that moment and nailed me.

I fly back a bit and land a bit farther away than where he was, and sense someone else is near. 'Reinforcements? Probably, but for who: me or him?'

Then I see the one man who gave me the creeps when I stayed with them before: Mern. 'Well I'm fucked, two on one is gonna be impossible for me. But hey, at least I get to join Ronin.' Then he did something odd, as Karr came in as well, he looked to Esoj and yelled, "Thorn Sword!" and attacked Esoj. But Esoj knew something was up and yelled, "Espada de Acero!"

"I fucking knew it you bastard. You two were working for the council the whole time, right?" Esoj said and the two of them nodded. I looked at them and cursed myself, for not knowing this beforehand and warning them. 'But there is something I can do for him now.' I ran up to where the three of them were and got behind Karr, getting into my Steel Shadow dragon mode, and yelled, "Steel Shadow Dragon's Roar!" My new roar hit Karr in the back of the head and sent him flying into the wall, where he crashed through it and went out of the arena. Blinked and thought that I knew he was pretty weak compared to me, but not that weak.

Mern turned around and looked at me but then was punched by Esoj into the wall. "Oi, Esoj. You win. I surrender myself and ask to join the Ronin."

(POV Change Back to Esoj)

"Serious?" I asked him, surprised by what he said and he nods at me. "Well, then I accept your request. Repeat after me please."

Gajeel nodded and we both said the motto, "THOUGH WE MAY HAVE NO TRUE HOME WE ARE NEVER ALONE! THOUGH NO ONE MAY WANT US WILL DO WHAT IS NEEDED! THOUGH NO ONE MAY APPRECIATE WHAT WE DO WE WILL ALWAYS DO THE RIGHT THING! WE ARE THE FORSAKEN, THE FORGOTTEN, THE LOST, WE ARE THE RONIN! DEATH TO OUR ENEMIES AND TO THE EVER LASTING GLORY THAT AWAITS US IN THE FUTURE. LIVE! FIGHT! LIVE AND FIGHT FOREVER!"

We looked at each other and he said, "The Redfoxes are at your service, now how can I help?"

"Go and see where Lucy is, I get the feeling something happened and she had to help…um…" I start to say but wonder if I should tell him about Juvia or not.

"Go and help Juvia, yeah I know who she is, never could fool me I have known her for a long time but nice try. I'll be back" He said and I sighed and motioned for him to leave, and he did.

I turned to Mern and saw as he got up and looked at me. I gripped my sword and charged at him, and begun my fight to the death with our mole.

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**A/N: Wow. What a good surprise for once! If you're wondering what ironwood is look it up, it's a real thing apparently. Well that's all for today, the count is down to four and Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 60: For there to be betrayal, there had to have been trust first

**A/N: Sixty chapters. We have reached the sixty chapter mark ladies and gentlemen who are not really gentle. I never expected this story to be this long, but my brain just had so many ideas that this came to happen. I never would have guessed we reach sixty, but here we are and we're almost done! The final fight will be Sunday, probably, and then two or so clean up chapters and we're done. That's it. Except for epilogue but that won't be as often as this story was. And looking at the calendar, this story will end on it's two month anniversary, probably. But enough of me feeling like I did something, shout out to the very morbid review of sashaXmafuyuFOREVER and the review of brucie86, thanks guys! Now, ENJOY!**

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(Esoj POV)

I charge at Mern and bring my sword up and our swords collide mid air, sending sparks off of them. Then we start trading blows with our swords and block each other at every turn, never able to get a clean hit on the other. Then we lock swords for a moment and look each other in the eye, keeping our gazes locked as we struggled to gain dominance. "Oh, so you saw this coming? Do you hate me for my betrayal? You know, I hoped it would be you I would get to fight. I hoped I would get to show you the power of Greer, the power that I was bestowed!" He said and I knew he was looking for a distraction, so instead I kicked him in the knee and he buckled and our swords broke apart.

I kicked him in the jaw and he went flying away from where we were, hitting the wall soon after. "Betrayal? No you're just a traitor on principal, but this isn't a betrayal. There had to have been trust for this to be a betrayal, and I never trusted you: never. I always knew something was up with you, and I never believed your story for a second. Not even one. But here we are, so let's dance. Get up and fight me and show me the power you spilled so much blood to get!" I yelled and he got up and charged at me, faster than I remember him being. But still not blindingly fast. I saw him coming still and threw a punch into his jaw, side stepping his stab and he went down for a second.

"So still not fast enough to fool you, huh? Well then I will have to go faster!" He said and charged at me again, even faster than the last time. I only had time to side step a bit and block his sword, then he yelled, "Thorns!" and I was almost impaled by his thorns. Almost. I saw his hand come up so his thorns would focus on me and I dodged, jumping high into the air avoiding all of his thorns.

I yelled, "Lanzallamas!" and fire came out of my mouth, burning all the thorns away and forcing Mern to dodge. As he rolled out of the way I grabbed a block of steel and yelled, "Ballas de Acero! Cuerpo de Acero!" Some of the steel broke off into little bullets and flew at Mern. He saw them but didn't move, instead he yelled, "Thorn Bullet!" His own bullets, made of thorns, shot out of his hand and collided with my own, destroying them. But as this happened, the rest of the block of steel morphed and came over my body, creating a second layer of skin for me. A layer of steel skin. I landed from my jump and looked at Mern who looked at me like I was an alien. I scoffed at his reaction and charged, still holding onto my sword. We collided again and traded blows with our swords again, but this time we each land a hit. He lands the first one, a cut to my upper arm that isn't very deep but will be annoying. My hit however is much deeper, as land a hit on his thigh and did so as he cut my arm. The cut on his thigh is deep, and might have actually cut some tendons or ligaments, but it doesn't seem to faze him.

We break apart from each other and I see that his cut is closing up already, 'What?! He's healing? How? He doesn't have medical magic… Wait, what's closing the wound up? Are those his thorns?' I looked more carefully and saw that indeed, his thorns were sewing up the wound albeit crudely. 'Uh oh. If he can heal himself like that I am at a disadvantage, he can take more hits than me and that's how I like to fight. Endurance fighting, taking more hits than my opponent. This is bad. I need to be quick about it, or I could use precision to win. Hmmm, neither way really suits me so I guess I'll have to take more damage than him somehow. Well, I don't like losing so I'll figure it out.'

I looked Mern in the eye and he smirked at me, saying, "Surprised? Yes if I wish to I can repair wounds with my thorns as if my thorns were a surgeon. I like to have nice, long fights enjoy the thrill of battle you see. So do you. So let's ignore the banter of a battle and let's just fight, see who the victor shall be. Who the better mage is, who the better man…"

He never finished as I charged him and punched him in the gut, then elbowed him in the back of the head as hunched over in pain. "You're right. Enough talking. Let's dance." I said and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, then threw him up in the air and followed him up. He regained control of his body mid way up and then we started trading blow with our fists, the swords forgotten. He landed a punch to my jaw, but I landed a punch to his gut. Then we both landed a punch to each other's faces and then landed a punch to each other's gut, but I was able to sneak in a shot to his kidney with my free hand. All of this mid air.

We both landed and then jumped back a bit and yelled simultaneously, "Thorny Rose!" "Explosión de Fuego!" Two projectiles came forth and collided with each other mid air, creating a massive explosion. We jumped away from the blast and ended up near each other. He placed a hand on the ground and swung his leg around for a roundhouse kick, so I bent backwards and dodged. While bending backwards, I pointed a finger at him and yelled, "Balla de Acero!" A single steel came forth and shot out at him, but he saw it coming and dodged by rolling away from me.

We both jumped up to our feet and looked each other in the eye, gazes locking while we waited for someone to make a move. Then we both charged at the same time and went in to throw a punch, but I used my right arm and he used his left. This caused us to have our arms block each other's and our arms got tangled up. I didn't let it faze me though and instead grabbed his arm and jumped over his shoulder. As our arms were still tangled, I brought his arm with me and his arm was bent backwards with me. I jumped pretty far knowing I would land laying down, but so would Mern and as we did, I spun and got his arm in a Kimura Hold. His arm was lodged between my legs and with the slightest movement, I could break his arm. Or so I thought it would go but then Mern yelled, "Thorn Body!" Thorns shot out of his body and luckily I had seen this attack before, and was able to escape its reach but lost my hold on his arm.

I stand up after rolling away and look at where Mern was, but see he is no longer there. Instead he somehow got behind me and then punched me in the back of the head. I stumbled forward and he came up and elbowed me in the back, causing me to hit the ground harshly. I groan but get up immediately and see him almost on me, leaving me only the time to block his attack. I push him back using my superior height, and I push him far enough away from me that he is out of reach.

Then as he relaxed for a second, I grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards me and punched him square in the jaw. He went airborne for a second and I ran forward and grabbed his throat, then crushed him into the ground. I glare at him as I loom over him but also let my guard down for a moment, and he counter attacked at that precise moment. He yelled, "Thorn Time Bomb!" and then I felt an explosion on my upper arm area, right where he had cut me earlier.

'Damn it! My arm! Gah, this is bad I can barely feel my arm anymore and that's my dominant arm! Fuck! Shit, now what? Ummm, well there is always Cambia Cuerpo, but it's easier on my magic reserves when I do it with Nena at the same time. But unless I do it, then it'll be over quick as my arm is losing a lot of blood. No. I can't use that yet, it has to be my trump card. I'll just stop the bleeding for now, but how to distract him long enough…. That's it! Lava!' I saw him charging at me and I punched the ground and yelled, "Rio de Pierdas Calientes!" From where I stood to each end of the room, a river of lava appeared and blocked his path. I then grabbed a piece of cloth from my belt pouch and tied it around my arm, just above the gash. Then I cauterized the gash by using some of the lava to burn it.

I quickly began regaining feeling in my arm and was not a moment too soon as he was on me again. This time I was ready for him as I made the first move, kicking him as he arrived and he flew back towards the lava. He spun and yelled, "Thorn Wall!" creating a thorn wall to stop himself from the hitting the lava. So I made sure he did.

I grabbed a ball of steel, realizing it left me only one more, and yelled, "Vuelo de Bloque Acero!" A block of steel formed from the ball and flew at Mern as he flew towards the wall. The block's flight beat Mern's flight to the wall, and he was pushed through the wall and landed in the lava. I watched in surprise as the plan actually worked, he actually fell in the lava. But then I saw something even more shocking, the lava bubbled and then some sort of human shaped figure rose up from the lava. I looked more carefully and saw that it looked a lot like Mern, but everything that should have been skin was just thorns. 'No way. No fucking way, he should be sinking into the lava and burning up alive. No, it can't be. No.'

But sure, the thorns around what was the head receded and revealed his smirking face. "Surprised? What you see is my Thorn Cover technique, it is nearly indestructible." He gloated and I just sighed, knowing that it was too easy to be over like that. 'I'm gonna have to do more than that. But still, he is using what is most likely his most secret and useful technique. His trump card. And I still have mine. I got this.'

I charged at him and attacked, but he saw me coming and tried to punch me before I could. But I was already mid punch and we used the opposite arms again, and our arms got tangled up again. But this is what I wanted as I grabbed my last ball of steel and yelled, "Ballas de Acero!" Bullets of steel came forth from the ball and hit Mern straight in the gut, piercing his armor of thorns. They came out of the other side of his body and he crumbled, falling face first to the ground as blood poured out of his body.

"Tch. So much for indestructible. That all you got?" I said as I picked up his head nad then said, "Espada de Acero." I had noticed that one bullet had gotten lodged in his body and it morphed, coming out of his back and into my hand as a sword.

"Just do it. Just kill me. You won, and I lost. All because I got cocky for a minute. Tsk, how embarrassing. The great Greer, defeated by a man who couldn't even save his home." He said and I really had to fight the urge to do as he asked. "What are you waiting for? Just do it and end my embarrassment. Please."

"NO. No more killing, I have already killed one person too many a year ago, when Zeref was the only one I wanted to kill. You I don't hate enough to do it, I can't kill you. I pity you, not hate you. But I will leave you a parting gift." I said and swung my sword down and cut his right arm clean off. He howled in pain, but I could already see his thorns sealing up the wound, making sure he survived the battle. "Now leave this place and leave Fiore altogether. If we ever meet again, I will not show you the mercy I have today. Now, goodnight."

I gripped my sword tighter and hit him on the head with its hilt, knocking him out cold. I stood up from where I was and looked around. I saw the room was a mess and the exit was on the other side of the room, past where the lava was. I sighed and looked up and yelled, "Salida de Tierra!" The earth beneath me shot up, carrying me outside to the roof, and saw Nena sitting up. She was rubbing her head and I knew that Mern had knocked her out, but that otherwise she was fine. I walked over to her and sat down next to her, giving her a kiss on the head where she was rubbing it. "Hey babe. How are you?"

"Sore, that bastard Mern was a traitor and knocked me out cold. Please tell me you dealt with him already." She asked and gave me kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah, I just did. Made sure he felt our wrath too. What are you doing anyways? Who's still fighting?" I asked and she sighed.

"I honestly don't know, other than Natsu and Lucy, yes she's fighting now, everyone else is all over the place. Let me tell you what you missed, Kurayami came by and filled me in just a moment ago. But he had to go back immediately." She said and I nodded, wondering just what the hell I had missed during my hour of fighting.

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**A/N: Whew. That was fun to write and sorry to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER who wanted to see Mern dead. But, I am so done killing people, honestly. Hahaha, but no seriously no more deaths. Well, I hope you guys liked it and I hope you guys stayed tuned, because tomorrow is the light and shadow duo showdown. Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 61: Strength Comes From the Will to Win

**A/N: First, let me give the usual shout out to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER and brucie86 for their reviews! Glad you guys liked it. Now, secondly we have the number four. Four. That's how many fights remain. We are down to four. FOUR. Gah! We are so close to the end I can taste it! It's a good bittersweet taste with some spiciness via Natsu and some iciness from Gray… I'm glad there not fighting because they would just end up bickering at each other instead of fighting. But they're not today's fighters, no it's Sting and Rogue vs. Gōsuto and Rai. So here we go! ENJOY!**

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In Naito- Half an hour ago (Gōsuto POV)

We arrived back at our base and looked around, seeing that everything was normal. "Good, we beat them. Rai, get everyone except for my dad on Metalicana's back and out of here. Now. I'll make sure that when they get here and figure out that Hoshi is gone, they can't escape. Now go and make sure everyone is safe." I said and Rai nodded, running off inside as I jumped on the roof.

I looked around on the roof and saw what I was looking for, right where it should have been. I walked over and kneeled next to a little black box, and opened it. I looked inside and saw the switch that I wanted and flipped it. A small dome of runes appeared from the top of the box and a set of letters came from the box as well. I typed in the specific set of runes that I wanted and pressed a button. The dome spun around and the runes began to form on the dome. Then, it suddenly expanded to become a massive dome, and it covered all of Naito and cut off on the outskirts of town. 'Good it still works. Good thing dad installed this when he retired and became this city's only, albeit inactive, mage. These runes will let people in once I fully activate it, but they won't be able to leave anymore. Where is dad? I need to send him back to report everything that's happening before the Saber twins get here and he's trapped. The others too, they need to leave now.' As I was thinking that, I saw a dragon, Metalicana I guessed, fly away with some people in his back. 'Good they're gone, now where is dad?'

"Gōsuto! Here's your dad! But we got a problem! The Sabers are in Naito already! Hurry up and tell your dad what you now!" Rai yelled and I cursed to myself and jumped down off the roof with the rune activator in my hand.

"Quick, everyone inside we don't want to tip them off just yet. We'll hide in Hoshi's room for now. Dad, I need you to go and tell everyone back in Magnolia what's happening and that everyone is safe. Go now, before I put up the runes and you're stuck here. Go!" I said and my dad looked at me.

"How do you expect me to get there?" He said and I thought about it, then face palmed. "The flying dragon is gone and the other one can't fly, how the fuck am I supposed to get there?!"

"We'll help!" Said a very happy sounding and high-pitched voice I had not heard in a year and we all turned to see three flying cats. "Happy and the exceeds at your service!"

"What the fuck is an exceed. Lily, why are you here? Are you an 'Exceed?' And who's the white one?" Rai asked what we were all thinking in our heads.

"Yes, we are what is known as an exceed, our history is long and complicated. But trust us, if we fly there he could be there in twenty minutes, if we all do it at once. Kurayami trust us, and let's go." Lily said in his military voice and dad looked at me.

I shrugged and he sighed and nodded to them. They all came forward and took a hold of shoulder and I called out to him, "Hey dad, take this lacrima so you can keep tabs on the battle!" He looked over his shoulder and nodded, catching the lacrima as I threw it to him. The exceeds flew off, yelling "Max Speed!" and disappearing over the horizon.

I looked at Rai and motioned for us to go inside. He nodded and we ran inside as he said, "The motion sensor lacrima says there almost here, we better hurry!" I nodded and we ran faster, reaching little Hoshi's room soon after. I motioned for him to take position above the door, as the room is huge and the ceiling is high. I take position in the corner of the room, just above the changing station and close to the crib. Then we wait for a minute, then the door flies open and we see Rogue and Sting barge in.

They look around and wait a minute before Sting says, "Where the fuck is this baby?"

Then I look at Rai and nod, then we both jump down and in mid air yell, "Light Beam!" "Shadow Beam!" Two beams, one made of shadows and the other of light shoot out and hit the saber twins, the opposite element hitting each of the sabers. They both fly back and we grab one, me grabbing Rogue and Rai grabbing Sting, and we run away from each other.

We split up and went to different parts of the house, me going to the outdoor training area by jumping out a window near Hoshi's room. We both land away from each other and roll to our feet. "Ah, now I see why Hoshi wasn't there, Lucy must have sent you. So Gōsuto, you think you can stop me? Because you must know, I never went all out in front of Natsu and you aren't exactly the strongest mage in Ronin." Rogue said and I scoffed.

"You think just because your dragon slayer your stronger than everyone else? Please. Spare me your ego, and let me show you the true power of demon hybrid. I hope you brought extra underwear, because you'll shit yourself in fear soon enough." I said trying to match his ego, hoping to see if he would react in any way.

He did, but in a very interesting way, "Ok, then show me some of your demon power then. Show me what a hybrid demon can do." He looked at me expectantly and I knew I had to show him at least some form of my demon change. 'Phase one for now, but he doesn't seemed worried at all that I can become a demon. In fact he looks excited by the fact. Damn these dragon slayers are crazy when it comes to proving battle prowess. Well, I have no choice then here we go!'

I gathered magical energy in my body and built it up, until I had more than enough. Then I let the inner blocks on my demon forms release for the first phase and I felt my body change. I saw my skin become pitch black, and I felt my muscles grow slightly as did my body as a whole, making me taller. I stood upright and I knew the change was complete and looked at Rogue. He looked excited and like he was ready to fight. I sighed quietly and then charged so fast he barely saw me, landing a blow to his throat as I clotheslined him. I carried him on my arm for a little bit and then spun, releasing my hold on him as I punched him in the back of the head. He staggered forward and slid low to get in front of and beneath him, then yelled, "Shadow Beam: Hand!" A beam of my shadows came forth and took the form of a hand, and it grabbed his face. Then I kicked his feet out from under him and he fell on his back. Then the hand expanded and trapped his head to the ground, and I saw him try and eat the shadows but was unable to. Then he mumbled something and a torrent of magic spouted from his mouth and destroyed the hand.

'So that's his roar, it really is something else man. Being able to destroy the shadow hand in demon phase one is a outstanding feat. Well here comes the shock and the required explanation.' I looked at Rogue and he was looking at me blankly, shocked that he couldn't eat the shadows. "Yes, my shadows cannot be eaten by dragon slayers. Because they are not real shadows, per say. No they are artificially produced in my body. This is because I was made into a shadow demon and when in my demon form my shadows are not taken from the environment like they usually are. Instead I make my own shadows, its why my body is pitch black now. I am the shadows now." I explained and he looked at me dumbfounded, surprised by the fact that he was the one at a disadvantage in a battle of shadows.

He shook his head and sighed, then said, "Guess I'll just have to beat you with what magic I have. Better make this battle a serious one." He said and suddenly, he released a lot of magical energy and his body became shrouded in shadows. "This is my Shadow Drive mode, similar to your demon mode so this should be fun."

Then he charged and we started trading blows, each of us landing a blow to the others gut then to the jaw. We each jump back and I throw my hands up and yell, "Shadow Cannon!" unleashing a massive torrent of shadows at Rogue. He yells "Shadow Dragon's Roar!" in response and the two attacks meet mid air. The result of the collision is a massive explosion that sends us back a bit, but we both land on our feet. Then we charge at each other again, trading punches and kicks as we reached each other. I landed a blow to his gut, but he landed one to my face. Then I landed another one to his gut and followed it up with one to his gut and a kick to his knee. He crumbled and I finished my combo with a kick to his face, but he blocked my kick with his arm.

But it wasn't enough, as I kept pushing and eventually broke his block and finished the kick, sending him flying away. He tried to stop himself by spinning but I didn't let him as I yelled, "Shadow Beam!" and my signature beam hit him and he kept flying. Eventually he stopped, when he hit the wall and made a human shaped dent in it. "Have enough yet?" I asked mockingly and the only response I got was a massive surge of magical energy from him. I looked and saw that he had entered a new mode of his dragon slaying magic that gave him a shroud of shadows and spikier hair. He also had markings on his face and he looked mad now.

He charged before I could get off my usual sarcastic remark and he was on me so fast I barely saw him. He punched me in the gut a few times so fast that I missed it, then he threw an uppercut that nailed me in the jaw. But before I could stumble back, he grabbed my now exposed neck and crushed me into the ground. I groaned and got up quickly and disappeared into the shadows, claiming them as mine. He tried to follow and beat me in the shadows, but couldn't as I now owned the shadows. He growled at that and tried to follow me but I was too fast in my shadows. I revealed myself but he didn't see it as I was behind him now and I yelled, "Shadow Cannon!" The torrent of shadows spouted from my hands and nailed him in the back, but he didn't even flinch.

"Hahahaha! You think that level of attack will do anything against me? Please! I'm in my dragon force mode, you'll have to do more than that!" He said and looked at me, but I knew this was the case already.

I released another set of blocks inside of me and entered phase two of my demon mode, 'Two phases in now, gonna have to be careful if I need to enter phase three. I lose all conscious thought of right and wrong when I do, and I don't want that to happen. Let's hope this all he can muster." I charge at him and am faster and bigger than before, so fast that he doesn't really see me at first. I land a clean hit to his face, breaking his nose for sure as he went flying away. He hit a boulder that was on the field and he created a massive hole in the boulder.

He got up and shrugged it off and we both charged each other again, and started our usual exchange of blows each of us landing a blow to the other's gut. But before we could keep going a massive explosion rocked the mansion and the area outside and we looked to see Rai and Sting fighting their way to us. I looked and saw Rogue was distracted and I punched him in the face and yelled, "Shadow Cannon!". THIS time when it hit he was sent flying back, my increased power the reason why it worked. Rai had also gained the upper hand for a moment and sent Sting flying back to where we where Rogue had gone.

"So how's it going?" Rai asked as came over to where I was and I shrugged, both of us beaten up a bit and bloodied. "Phase Two?" 

"Phase Two." I answered and he nodded, "You having any trouble?"

"Eh, a little to be honest bit so are you obviously. Your throat is all black and shit. Ugly like your face." He said and I looked at him feigning anger, then we both started laughing as he said, "Yeah let me tell you what happened."

Back to When the Duo Separated (Rai POV)

Then Gōsuto looked me and nods, then we both jump down and in mid air yell, "Light Beam!" "Shadow Beam!" Two beams, one made of shadows and the other of light shoot out and hit the saber twins, the opposite element hitting each of the sabers. They both fly back and we grab one, he grabs Rogue and I grab Sting, and we run away from each other.

We split up and went to different parts of the house, I lead him to the meeting room which was empty now and big enough for us to fight. We both land away from each other and roll to our feet. "Ah, now I see why Hoshi wasn't there, Lucy-san sent you. Name's Sting Eucliffe, what's yours?" Sting asked.

"Raitonekusasu, nice to meet you, master of Sabertooth. Now, let me say while you are powerful, I don't believe your as strong as a demon." I said hoping to irritate him and make him sloppy.

He didn't bit, but reacted in a very interesting way, "Ok, then show me some of your demon power then. Show me what a hybrid demon can do." He looked at me expectantly and I knew I had to show him at least some form of my demon change. 'Phase one for now, but he doesn't seemed worried at all that I can become a demon. Damn these dragon slayers are crazy! Especially when it comes to proving their battle prowess. Well, I guess there is no choice then. Here I come!'

I gathered magical energy in my body and built it up, until I had more than enough. Then I let the inner blocks on my demon forms release for the first phase and I felt my body change. I saw my skin become as bright as a star, and I felt my muscles grow slightly as did my body as a whole, making me taller, almost a giant. I stood upright and I knew the change was complete and looked at Sting. He looked excited and like he was ready to throw down. I sighed quietly at his face and charged so fast he barely saw me, landing a blow to his gut causing him to keel over in pain. I loomed him over him for a little bit and then I elbowed him in the back of the head. He staggered forward and I jumped up high above him and he was beneath me now, then I yelled, "Light Beam: Cannonball!" A beam of my light came forth and took the form of a cannonball, and it nailed his face as he turned around to face me. Then he tried to eat the cannonball but was unable to. Then he mumbled something and a torrent of magic spouted from his mouth and destroyed the cannonball before it exploded.

'So that's his roar, huh? He sure is strong to destroy my demon shadows. Well here comes the shock and the required explanation that I always have to give people who don't understand my magic.' I looked at Sting and he was looking at me concerned, checking to see if his mouth still worked. "Yes, your mouth still works you idiot. It's just that dragon slayers cannot eat my light. Because they are not real light, per say. No they are artificially produced in my body. This is because I was made into an oxymoron demon, a light demon and when in my demon form my light is not taken from the environment like they usually are. Instead I make my own light, it's why my body is so bright now. I am the light now." I explained and he looked at me like I just tried to explain physics to him, unable to comprehend the fact that he was the one at a disadvantage in a battle of light. "Ugh! You cannot eat stuff that is not made in nature like my light you dumbass!"

He nodded his head in understanding, then said, "Guess I'll just have to beat you with what magic I have. Better go all out for this one." He said and suddenly, he released a lot of magical energy and his body became shrouded in light. "This is my White Drive mode, similar to your demon mode so this should be fun."

Then he charged and we started trading blows, each of us landing a blow to the others kidney then to the face. We each stagger back a bit and I throw my hands up and yell, "Light Cannon!" unleashing a massive torrent of bright light at Sting. He yells "Light Dragon's Roar!" in response and the two attacks meet mid air. The result of the collision is a massive explosion that sends us back a bit, but we both land on our feet. Then we charge at each other again, trading punches and kicks as we reached each other. I landed a blow to his kidney again, but he landed one to my face. Then I landed another one to his kidney, my favorite spot to hit, and followed it up with one to his gut and a kick to his knee. He crumbled and I finished my combo with an uppercut to his face, but he blocked my fist with his arms.

But it wasn't enough, as I kept pushing and eventually broke his block and finished the uppercut, sending him flying into the ceiling. He tried to stop himself by spinning so he could land feet first on the ceiling and propel himself off it, but I didn't let him. I yelled, "Light Beam!" and my beam hit him and he kept flying through the ceiling and into the next floor. Eventually he stopped, when he hit that room's ceiling and made a human shaped dent in it. "Done already?" I asked mockingly and the only response I got was a massive surge of magical energy from him. I looked and saw that he had entered a new mode of his dragon slaying magic that gave him a shroud of light and spikier hair. He also had markings on his face and he looked mad now.

He charged before I could get off a sly remark and he was on me so fast I barely saw him. He punched me in the face a few times so fast that I swore I went unconscious and woke up because of the punched. then he threw an uppercut that nailed me in the jaw. But before I could stumble back, he grabbed my now exposed neck and crushed me into the ground. I groaned and got up quickly and yelled, "Light Flare!" He growled at that and tried to grab me but couldn't as he couldn't see. I ran being him and revealed myself to him but he didn't see me as I was behind him and I yelled, "Light Cannon!" The torrent of shadows spouted from my hands and nailed him in the back, but he didn't even move. Instead he thought he felt a fly hit him and he swatted at it but then realized it was me.

"Hahahaha! That level of attack? Really, you think that will do anything against me? Please! I'm in my dragon force mode, you'll have to do more than that!" He said and looked at me, but I knew this was the case already. So I release my second set of blocks inside of me and reached my second phase, now brighter and bigger than before. Faster too as I charged and yelled, "Light Meteor!" I turned into a human meteor and charged even faster. I reached him and took him out of this room and into the next three in a row.

We stopped moving and he pushed me off of him, then he yelled, "Light Dragon's Roar!" And I knew what was coming, so I yelled back, "Light Cannon!" and our two attacks met again. This time the explosion was even bigger than the last time and rocked the mansion, creating a massive hole that we both went out of. We traded blows for a second then saw we ended up where Gōsuto and Rogue were fighting. Seeing his comrade get sent flying away, Sting got distracted and I took advantage of it. I yelled "Light Cannon!" and he went flying, the attack working this time.

Back to Present (Gōsuto POV)

"Wow. Sounds just like my battle in reality." I said and Rai nodded.

"It's because they're so similar to each other, they do so many of the same things." He said and I nodded, then we heard groans as the sabers got up and looked at us.

Then they both gave us a look that said that they were fed up with us and once again release magical energy. This time it was different and was something only dragon slayers of high caliber could do. They each had shadows and light all around them and were shrouded in it, but looked very tired. "This is probably your limit huh? One more attack and that's it huh?" I asked and they didn't say anything but instead got ready to do something. "Unison Raid. Well Rai looks like we have no choice. It's time for phase three."

"Whoa there, phase three? But we might end up hurting each other like that." He said and I shrugged.

"We can't lose, we'll be evenly matched this way but we have the advantage. They're doing this because it's their job, to beat Natsu and us as a whole. They have no emotion behind it. We have the power of our will to win, we cannot lose because if we do, it puts our families at risk. We will win this final exchange." I said and Rai sighed then nodded and we released the final blocks holding back our full demon forms. This form is what no one else could achieve but was dangerous as we lost our cognitive thoughts. We grew absolutely huge in terms of muscles and lost all thoughts.

(Third Person POV)

The saber dragon twins looked at their opponents and were shocked by the change. They looked more like animals than humans now but they were also getting into position for their own unison raid. The sabers got ready themselves and yelled, a bit still uneasy of their opponents, "Holy Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang!"

Their opponents yelled something unintelligible and launched their own attack. The two attacks met mid air and struggled for a moment, but then something odd happened. The demon's attack broke through the sabers attack as a single thought passed through the demon's minds. 'Family.'

The attack hit the two sabers and expanded, engulfing them before it exploded and knocked them out cold, ending their battle. The demons were panting and somehow regressed back into their base human forms and regained their minds.

(POV Change Back to Gōsuto)

We were breathing heavily and I realized we could no longer keep the blocks open anymore and had gone back to our base forms. "We did it… we did it man." I said and slumped over, leaning on Rai's much taller frame.

"Yeah we did brother. We really did." He said and looked down at me and said, "If you can open the dimensions, we should head back and join the others."

"Yeah I can. Come on let's go." I said and we went through the dimensions back to Magnolia where my dad was, victorious and successful in our mission. Our families safe and sound.

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**A/N: WHEW! What a battle that was! I hope you guys liked it and now we are down to three. And the next three are all main characters in the actual series so the OC's are done fighting. I hope you enjoyed it, and Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 62: The Power of Love

**A/N: Hello. I am going to be quick because I'm excited for this chapter so shout out to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER and brucie86 as always. NOW we are down to five more chapters TOTAL in the story and this might be the biggest tear jerker. That's because we have arrived at the moment all GRUVIA fans have been waiting for: Juvia vs. Gray. Here we go! ENJOY!**

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Start of Battles (Juvia POV)

Juvia lands on the roof and is immediately pulled aside by Lucy who says, "Ok Juvia, you know what to do. Show that bastard what he left behind, show him how much you hate him and show him the fruits of your labor. I'll be watching over you. GO!"

Juvia nods and look at the lacrima and see he is in the room next to the biggest room and it is a very average room. 'Juvia is excited! Such a meaningless room, perfect for showing her indifference to Gray. It is perfect for Juvia.' Juvia runs to the hole and jump down into the room, and lands soon afterwards.

Gray hears something behind him and looks at Juvia, saying, "Lucy, so you finally came… Wh- who are you?"

(POV Change to Gray)

I see a woman in front of me with blond hair and blue eyes, but isn't Lucy. Instead she looks just like Juvia. Safe to say that I am floored by her appearance, 'No way, this can't be Juvia. My Juvia's eyes are never filled with that much hatred and anger. Those may look like her eyes on the surface but they're not hers.'

Then as if to confirm my thoughts, the woman said, "Sol's name is Sol. Sol will now kill you, Gray Fullbuster. Die." And suddenly she charged and kicked me square in the jaw, sending me flying away from her and into the wall.

I hit the wall and bounced off, landing on the ground with a thud but I don't even realize it. 'That was just how Juvia kicked her enemies! That little jump spin that adds power to her kicks! But there's no way this is Juvia, no chance.' I get up and groan as I do so, saying, "Well, as you know my name is Gray Fullbuster. Now where is Lucy? And why do you look my missing wife?! HUH?! DO YOU KNOW WHERE SHE IS?!" I yell and the woman scoffs.

"Please refrain yourself from yelling useless nonsense. Sol will crush you, there is no need for Lucy to come here and do it. As for your wife, she is dead. Juvia Fullbuster died a while ago." Sol said and I felt my usually cold body heat up in rage from her comments.

"NO! She is alive! I know it! Now tell me where she is, I know you know! TELL ME! Ice Make: Prison!" I yelled and ice came forth and trapped her inside of a cage of ice. She merely laughed and liquefied herself to get out…

'No… no this can't be. She talks like Juvia. She fights like Juvia. She has magic like Juvia. She looks like Juvia. But… this can't be my Juvia. This can't be!' I paused for a moment than asked her, "You. Are you Juvia? Juvia, is that you babe?"

"Like Sol said, Juvia died. She died two years ago. Now, there is only Sol." She said and charged me and yelled, "Water Nebula!" Two pillars of water came forth and came at me. I threw my hands up and froze the water and let her come at me. I dodged her kicks and all of her other attacks before she yelled, "Water Slicer!"

It was then that I knew that I was fighting Juvia. 'Her attacks are even the same… This is Juvia! But something is wrong here, it's like she doesn't remember me or like she was brainwashed… Natsu you bastard. Lucy you captured her back then and then together with Natsu, brainwashed her. But just how bad is the brainwashing? I have to find out now!'

I let the attack hit me and it cut open my shirt, which was still on since I had kicked my stripping habit after I lost Juvia. It exposed my torso that had a new addition to it, a tattoo that had the initials G.F. + J.F. in a heart that was pierced by an arrow. She saw the tattoo and scowled, as I said, "Juvia that is you. What happened to you? What did Lucy and Natsu do to you? What did they tell you?"

"They told Juvia the truth! That everyone in Fairy Tail forgot Juvia and left me for dead! That they did not care and that you especially were indifferent to her! For a whole year you did nothing until you got bored and wanted me back so you could use Juvia again! And that you lied about what year it was so that Juvia would come back thinking that Natsu-san and Lucy-san lied to Juvia! Well Juvia will let you know that she will no longer let you use her! That foolish Juvia that you knew died two years ago. This is the new Juvia, no this is Sol!" She yelled and I was shocked by how deep Natsu and Lucy's deception went.

'My gods. Just how far did they go in brainwashing her? She thinks it's been two years since we got separated. It's been only one though, how did they convince her of that? And that we didn't care that she was gone? I mean we had a funeral and everything, and I went looking for her while I was training. I got this tattoo to remind myself of my goal, this scar on my face fighting demons that I thought had her captive. I never thought she had died, there was no proof, no body for me to see and believe. I never stopped believing. I cared too much for her for that to happen. But how to show her that this is the truth? I guess there's always just saying it. Yeah I'll do that.'

I moved closer to her and tried to tell her what was on my heart, but instead got a kick to my face in response. I go flying into the wall and hit it hard, then she runs up and knees me in the gut so hard I almost lose the contents of my stomach.

I rest on the floor, on all fours and catch my breath, and as I do I try to tell her again and say, "JUVIA! Listen to me! Just…" but I never get the chance to finish my statement as she charges at me again and kicks me in the gut and sends me into the wall again. I land on the ground again and try to catch my breath again and say, "JUVIA! STOP THAT! Listen, please listen to me!"

"NO! Enough of your lies, you made Juvia feel welcomed and loved but Juvia now knows it was all a lie! You never loved Juvia! You never cared for Juvia! You never felt the way Juvia did! You only wanted Juvia for your own personal use! Well Juvia's eyes have been opened and reborn as Sol's eyes! You may not call Sol by her real name because you have trampled all over that name! NOW! fight!" She yelled and I knew that talking was going to get us nowhere.

'Fuck, now what? She's clearly too far gone and caught up in Lucy's lies, and I have no way to convince her. But I can't fight her, I love her too damn much to risk hurting her. AGH! What do I do? Do I try and talk and get through to her that way or…' My reverie is interrupted as she runs up and yells, "Wings of Love!" A massive whirlpool of water appears and swallows me up, the current to strong to escape. I cannot move either, the current too strong to allow for movement, which means I can't freeze the water.

'Fuck! I have no choice! I'll just have to take the assault for now and try and convince her later. For now, I must survive this onslaught!' I brace myself as I am finally spit out of the whirlpool and hit the ceiling so hard I thought I might break through it. I don't, and fall down to the floor but never reach it as Juvia is there and kicks me. I keep flying after that and hit the wall, and she is there again to knee me into the wall even further. I feel the cool air of the outside on my back and fall to the ground, on all fours as I catch my breath and try and recover some strength before the next onslaught. 'Damn! She is way stronger than before! Lucy and Natsu must have trained her and made her like this. She's on a whole other level than a year ago, she's almost as strong as me and other than Laxus I'm the strongest Fairy Tail mage here. Damn, I think she broke some ribs on that last attack. I need to convince her that she's been lied to, but I don't know how… WAIT! THAT'S IT!'

I jump and yell at her, "You wanna fight? Fine! Follow me!" I turned to the wall and saw the hole was too small to sneak through so I yelled, "Ice Make: Ice Impact!" A hammer comes out and is specially made to destroy walls, so it does just that and the entire wall is destroyed. I run outside and run towards where I know I have something that I can use to convince her: our old house.

(POV Change Back to Juvia)

Juvia chases after Gray and see that he is leading her in the direction of the house they used to share and Juvia wonders, 'Why would he lead Juvia there? It makes no sense to Juvia. Let us see just what vile plans he has in store for Juvia.'

Juvia chases after him, not gaining any ground on him until we reach the house and he breaks down the door. Juvia follows him in and is immediately floored by what she see inside the house. There in the main room, is a beautiful ice sculpture of two people, one man who is holding a woman's arm lovingly. The woman looks very happy and is looking at the man, her eyes full of love and wonder of the man. The man has the same look on his face and both of them have a ring on, wedding rings Juvia realizes. These people in the sculpture are two people Juvia recognizes, as they are Juvia and Gray. 'Did he really make this for me? For when I disappeared? Was he telling the truth?'

"Juvia, you know how this specific type of my ice make magic works. Look at the base, it has the years the sculpture has been around for, and this is the truth. This magic cannot lie no matter how much the creator might try." Gray said and Juvia looked at the base of the statue. She gasped as it read, 'X798, X799.' The years that supposedly had already passed and was missing a year, a year that clearly had yet to come.

'Did- did Lucy-san and Natsu-san lie to Juvia? Is Gray telling the truth? Does- does Gray-sama actually love Juvia?' I wondered until he grabbed Juvia's hand and led Juvia to our bedroom. And what Juvia saw made her break into tears. On the bed, on the side that Juvia slept on was the hat that Juvia had worn the day she disappeared, and next to it a glass of water that Juvia always had for when she woke up.

And in that moment, Juvia did wake up. She realized that her Gray-sama did love her like he said he did and that she had been lied to. Gray-sama came up to her and pulled her into a tear-filled hug, both of us crying as we realized we were finally reunited. "I told you, or at least tried to, I love you more than you will ever know." Then he turned Juvia so Juvia faced him and then claimed juvia's lips in the most earth shattering kiss that he has ever given Juvia. We stay like that, having the most passionate kiss of our lives until we hear a crash and look to see what it was.

Then we see that it is the woman who caused all of our pain, Lucy Dragneel.

(POV Change to Lucy)

"Shit. I'm too late." I said and reached for my keys as I saw them get spells ready for me and I yell, "Open gate of the water-bearer! Aquarius!" Aquarius appeared and stopped their spell from even being launched by washing them away with her water. I then ran outside to get even more open space and see that Gray had frozen the water and the couple was outside with me.

"Lucy! You lying bitch! You lied to my precious Juvia! You caused her untold pain and now we as Fullbusters must show you what the consequences for that are!" Gray yelled and I rolled my eyes, 'I could beat these guys without even breaking a sweat. Easy.'

"Whoa there stripper. Rain woman, Juvia, listen to me here." A new voice said and I turned to see Gajeel here, "Listen, Lucy may have lied to you, but it was for your own good! This guild is falling apart and is filled with hypocrites! She was trying to save you! Like she did with me! I chose to get out now! The stripper is bad news for you, he was the whole reason this mess got started, because he wouldn't fight Lucy seriously. Even though you were there and he should have fought all out to protecte you, he didn't. No he put his own personal choices before your safety and now, here we are. Join me Juvia. Leave Fairy Tail again and rejoin us! Join Ronin, of your own choice this time!"

I whispered to him, "Gajeel, did you join us?"

"Yeah, the Redfoxes are at your service. Levy is already working to establish a connection with those in Naito and the others that are on their way there. She should be done soon and I'm here to help you out, because Juvia isn't buying it." He said.

"Juvia doesn't care! Her heart yells to her to stay with Gray-sama because he truly does love Juvia! Now move aside or fight with the traitor of Juvia's trust." She yelled as if on cue and I sighed.

"Gajeel, you know about the saber's plan obviously so go and find your dad and make sure everyone is safe. When the connection is established, go to the others and join them. Protect them and take Joi with you. Go now before you get caught up in this, I'll take care of them." I said and Gajeel hesitated before nodding and leaving.

I then sighed again and turned to see Aquarius and the couple fighting already, and I soon joined the fray, none too happy that it was now my turn to fight.

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**A/N: Gruvia fans, rejoice! My master plan of bringing them back together so they can fight Lucy worked! And no one, hopefully, saw it coming! I hope you guys liked it, and I mean all of you guys who read. We are now down to four chapters so, Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 63: Resistance is Futile

**A/N: Four. We are down to four total chapters and then I'm done. Except for epilogues but those won't be nearly as frequent. Maybe a weekly thing. So get ready, because here we go, shout out to sashaXmafuyuFOREVER as always for the review. NOW ENJOY!**

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(Lucy POV)

Gajeel runs off to find Levy, most likely, so he can see where everyone is and then find his father again. Meanwhile I turn my attention to the two idiots in front of me who were fighting Aquarius and getting nowhere. I sighed and ran towards them, yelling "Open gates of the Twins and the Bull! Gemini! Taurus!" The two summoned spirits appeared and joined me in the fray, water and ice going back and forth and every which way. I run up and bring out my whip, wrapping it around Gray's ankle as he was about to land an attack on Aquarius and I pulled his feet out from under him.

Then I spun and released some energy onto the whip, then brought it down onto Juvia's back. It whipped her and wrapped around her entire body, she yelled out in pain and became water. She re-solidified away from where she was and ran after Gray who had been washed away from Aquarius. I scoffed at them and their feeble attempts at resistance and then, in a very out of character moment yelled at them, "Give up! Resistance is futile here! You are way too out matched here! Just give up before you get hurt, or worse! Give up!" I waited for a response, wondering if they realized just how fucked they actually were.

(POV Change to Gray)

We hear Lucy's advice and I think to myself, 'Damn she is cocky. But maybe she's cocky for a good reason, this is not going well, at all. Just with one spirit against us was tough enough, but three? And she is no slouch herself, that whip of hers has a long reach. And she is physically stronger now too. She might be right, resistance may actually be futile here. But we must try!' I turn to Juvia and ask her, "Juvia, have you ever seen Lucy go all out before?"

"No, Lucy has never had the need to go all out before, but this is her going at about ninety percent. She is focusing her magic on herself instead of keeping the gates open and that can only mean one thing. She is planning on using Urano Metria on us so she can end this quickly. She did not want to come in the first place, she wanted to stay home with her baby. But Natsu said that they needed to all be there and so she relented." Juvia said and the fact that she had a baby with Natsu didn't even surprise me, but the fact that she would resort to Urano Metria so early on did.

"Do we have a chance?" I asked her hesitantly and she sighed.

Her response came soon after, "Against these spirits yes. But! Not against any of her stronger spirits. We had a ranking system among the Ronin for her spirits. These spirits are what you would call tier two spirits, with Aquarius teetering on being in tier one. The other tier two's would be Capricorn, Sagittarius, Pisces, and Scorpio but barely. Tier one would be Virgo, Cancer, Aries, Libra, and her silver keys. Tier one would be Loke/Leo, Aruthur, and the Spirit King. If they come out now, we will loose and she can use up to FIVE of her tier two keys at any time. She can use all three of her tier ones at once as well. UNLESS she plans on using her variation of celestial magic where she borrows a spirit's power like in a unison raid. OR if she is using Urano Metria like she is now. If we can eliminate her spirits before she unleashes Urano Metria then maybe we can delay her launching of the spell and ourselves. The spell is very powerful and could kill us if we're not careful, and she can't put any restraints on it. It is that powerful."

"Well this is no good. We would have to get a lucky shot on her or have her miss with her attack and have her use up all her magical energy at once." I said.

Juvia shook her head and said, "No, that won't work either. She can use Urano Metria up to four times without resting and while summoning her tier one spirits. We would exhaust ourselves just avoiding one of her attacks with that spell. And she would summon more spirits if we tried to exhaust her magic. Our best shot is a unison raid and it would have to be a direct attack. That is our only hope."

'Fuck. This is gonna be a tough one. A unison raid will work as we both have a deep enough connection. But the problem is getting a clear, direct shot at her. And making sure it lands as well. We will in all likelihood only have one shot at this, and if we miss we're done.' I looked at Juvia and sighed, saying, "That means we will only get one shot at this, if we miss it's over. You know that right? Maybe we should just surrender for now, live to fight another day you know."

"NO! We cannot give in here! Even if we die today at least we would die together! It is better than living with the shame of having surrendered! We are Fairy Tail mages and as such cannot surrender! Fight with Juvia, Gray-sama!" She said defiantly and held out her hand to me.

I looked at it for a second before laughing happily and taking it with a big smile on my face. "Your right! Let's go and give it our all and let the results speak for themselves! Let's go Juvia!" I yelled and we ran towards Lucy hand in hand.

She visibly sighed and said, "Aquarius, crush them please. They're giving me a headache. Taurus help her out, I'll prepare Urano Metria it should be ready in a few minutes." The big bull nodded and charged as Aquarius summoned a massive wave for us, and we kept going. Gemini appeared as well and transformed into Natsu. I sighed, knowing that was to melt my ice and we just kept charging. We reached Gemini first and I immediately yelled, "Ice Make: Diamond Sphere!" Ice surrounded Gemini and trapped him in ice so that he couldn't move, 'Thank Lyon. I remember you using that on Natsu all those years ago, so thanks.' We kept moving as Gemini kept trying to get free from the ice and reached the other two spirits.

Aquarius came at me and I dodged her attacks, her whirlpool of water missing me by mere centimeters. I run at her and yell, "Ice Make Unlimited: One Sided Chaotic Dance!" and massive amount of swords appear. The swords fly at Aquarius and she simply melts them with her water, which is hotter than my ice. But I had not planned on it working in actuality, but it was a distraction as I got into my demon slayer mode. I charged her and she tried to stop me with her whirlpools but I simply froze them with my magic. Then I reached her and yelled, "Ice Devil's Prison: Ball!" Ice came forth from my hand and froze her solid, freezing her in the shape of a ball.

I looked to see Juvia finishing Taurus off with, yelling, "Wings of Love!" A massive whirlpool of water appeared and swept him away, leaving the path to Lucy open. We see her gathering magic with her eyes closed. Then she heard us yelling and then she opened her eyes.

She sighed at the fact that her spirits lost already and said, "I guess I'll just do this by myself then." She closed her eyes and put her hands up, then her eyes shot open and were strange, golden almost as she yelled, "Survey the Heavens, …"

We realized she was about to cast the spell so we charged her, "Open the Heavens...All the stars, far and wide..." We were still too far away to get the shot we needed so we kept charging, taking each other's hand. "Show me thy appearance...With such shine…" We got closer but I knew we needed to get a little closer still, but we saw her starting to sweat a little bit, "Oh Tetrabiblos... I am the ruler of the stars...Aspect become complete…" We finally got close enough and took our position, facing each other and taking each other's hands, "Open thy malevolent gate. Oh 88 Stars of the heaven…" She almost finished the spell but we stopped her by yelling out as loud as we could, "UNISON RAID!" A torrent of ice and water so large that we almost were caught in it came forth and was aimed at Lucy. Then it started spinning and flew at her, and then hit her. The water and ice had become like a drill and hit her at point black range, causing her to be crushed into the ground.

We waited for the attack to finish, and stood up. We stood shakily as we were now both extremely tired as we had put everything into that one attack and knew it had done it's job. The attack had finally stopped and all that was left was a crater and a badly injured Lucy. "YES! We did it Gray-sama! WE DID IT!" Juvia yelled and I turned to her and nodded happily. I took her hands and looked into her eyes lovingly, then kissed her for a job well done.

Then our moment was ruined as we heard clapping behind us and the person we thought was in the crater say, "Well done! Good job! Good effort! You beat Gemini who is seventy five percent of me! Good job you two!"

"Wh-wha-what? That is impossible! Juvia know that it was…" Juvia started and I looked in the crater to see Lucy was right, Gemini had de-transformed from being Lucy and was now the two small spirits. I looked to where I though Gemini was and saw no one there, and I realized it was a psychic projection.

"How did you do that? We were here the whole time!" I asked Lucy and she laughed at me.

"Well…"

_FLASHBACK- (LUCY POV)_

_I see them whispering to each other and sigh, knowing they're mulling my question over at least. Then I realize that they are probably planning to use unison raid on me and I think of a truly genius plan. But then Gemini seemed to read my mind and said, "Let me do it Lucy. My transformation into you is nearly perfect in terms of power and I have your appearance down perfectly! Don't worry about me getting hurt, because so long as it's them I won't die!" I looked at Gemini and thought that it would be easier than a psychic projection of me. _

_Then a psychic projection of Natsu, I could tell it was missing a scar on his chin that he had now and only Natsu would mess up that obviously, appeared and the plan was now complete. So I looked and saw them stil talking and not noticing us and said, "Ok, listen up guys, and listen well…"_

_END FLASHBACK_

(Still Lucy POV)

I looked at the two dumbfounded idiots and said "Well nice try at least. Now the battle can end. Goodbye." I closed my eyes and threw my hands up and I felt the power of all eighty-eight constellations coursing through me as I yelled, "Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens...All the stars, far and wide...Show me thy appearance...With such shine. Oh Tetrabiblos... I am the ruler of the stars...Aspect become complete...Open thy malevolent gate. Oh 88 Stars of the heaven... Shine! Urano Metria!"

The spell came forth and crushed the Fullbusters. I waited a moment then turned and left, leaving my opponents to their fate as I heard Levy's voice in my head, "LUCY! Can you hear me?"

"Yup, what's the news Levy?" I asked her.

"All of it good news too. Everyone won. Natsu just finished and is ok. Rai and Gōsuto just got back with the saber twins in tow, and Esoj and Nena are here as well. Everyone else is at Beta base in the remains of Boa, so they are safe as well. That took you a while, are you ok?" As Levy finished her report and I smiled softly at the good news.

"Yeah, just had some fun. I'll be right there and then we can go home… Rai and Gōsuto destroyed the mansion huh?" I asked not really wanting the answer.

"Yup. It's completely trashed. But oh well right?" She said and I nodded to myself as my spirits came up behind me and yelled their goodbyes. I waved to them and they went back home to the spirit world.

"Yeah, we can just rebuild it. Lords know we have rebuilt guild halls before right?" I asked and realized I had just called our home our guild hall. Which it now was I realized and I smiled at that. Freedom was ours.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: No surprise here I think. Just because they trained doesn't mean they are anywhere near her level. They are nowhere near her level, Natsu is the strongest here and Lucy is not far behind. But where does this leave Laxus in our story? Don't worry, you'll see soon enough, tomorrow actually! Three more to go! Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 64: Life Itself is the Most Wonderful Fairy Tale

**A/N: So I'll just come out and say it, I'm sorry. I wasn't able to get to a computer yesterday and therefore wasn't able to write this chapter. Anyways, time for shout outs: sashaXmafuyuFOREVER as always gets one for her review and today DazzTugz joins her in reviewing and I'm glad to hear from a long term reader of this story. Sadly we are nearing the end so get ready! ENJOY THE FINAL FIGHTING CHAPTER!**

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Start of Battles (Natsu POV)

I land safely on the roof and watch everyone else scurry about. Checking the lacrima, running to a hole, jumping down said hole, and disappearing into their own frying pan. I sighed and rubbed my chin, wondering if I really had to waste my time with this or if I could go home and sleep. 'Or eat. I do wish I had some fire to eat, and I can't eat my own fire, it's not naturally made. Man, I really hate that fact. Oh well, I'm more worried about the three people who I know are up to something. Mern, Karr, and Rogue, those three are either spies or are planning to betray me for the reward. Bastards. Think I didn't know? Of course I knew I could hear your heartbeats and therefore your lies. Especially you Rogue, like Sting would ever just let you leave while giving you his power. Stupid idiots, all of them. Oh well, if I judged this right, we'll get Gajeel and his family to join us, he respects Esoj way too much and Levy and Lucy are best friends. Well, enough thinking, Luce is getting suspicious time to go.'

I walked over to Lucy and squatted down next to her and saw everyone starting their battles. "What do you think Natsu? Clean sweep?" Lucy asked and I nodded.

"But watch Mern and Karr carefully, you already know that Rogue is lying through his teeth. I'm getting a bad feeling from those two, especially Mern. Be careful, he might come and try something after he crushes Cobra. Stay safe and don't worry, Hoshi will be safe. Let me know any updates via telepathy for as long as that works." I said and she looked at me like I was crazy.

"Ok… I think you're overestimating Mern and his brain but ok. And who's the one worrying?" She asked coyly and we both laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm off. Keep me updated, bye Luce." I said and kissed her forehead, she smiled at me and I ran off. The came back and checked the lacrima to see where Laxus was. Lucy face palmed but I just ignored her, and saw that Laxus had gone into the basement. 'Eh? He chose the basement floor? Makes sense I guess it's where the bad guy usually hides. But I'm no villain; I would have preferred the big room. Or the front room, so we can fight to our leisure. Oh well here goes nothing!' I reached the hole that leads to the basement and jump down.

I free fall for a bit, the room being so far down compared to the other ones. But when I do land, I see an empty room instead. "Oi, Natsu! I'm over here dumbass." I hear Laxus call and I turn. I see him sitting down on the floor and he doesn't get up. "So glad you could make it, you know I was hoping to see you. Not that I had any doubts it would be you. You wouldn't miss the chance to humiliate me again. You think you're so special. So strong now. So untouchable that you called for this rematch over a year in advance. Tried to make a deal with the council so that you could earn a pardon by winning this. Well guess what? No matter what you do you'll never taste your freedom. This isn't a fairy tale where the main character gets what they want! No this is real life! There are no happy endings here. You already stole mine; succeeding Jiji as master and having him still guide me from behind the scenes. You stole my happy ending a year ago! And now, I'm going to ensure that none of you get a happy ending! I'm going to kill you and be done with you all! NOW DIE!" He yelled and I sighed at him, while he charged.

He came at me using his lightning to make himself super fast, but I still saw him coming. I dodged his fist and countered with a blow to his gut. Then as he stumbled forward, surprised by my counter, I yelled, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" My fist lit on fire and I punched him right in the back. He went face first into the ground as a small crater formed. I followed it up as I charged him again and yelled, "Fire Dragon's Sword!" A sword of fire appeared and I gripped it tightly. Then as I approached him, as he hadn't moved yet, I knew something was up. And what it was I knew too, so as I reached him I stabbed him in the back and through his chest.

I looked around and called out, "Wow. I know I hurt you Laxus but you should know something. You already stole my first fairy tale ending. You and the members of Fairy Tail ran me out of here. Out of my home without even checking if I did anything. My dream was to live here and be a member of Fairy Tail for as long as I lived. Then I would raise a family here, and live happily. But I was naïve in believing this. Because you see life is like a fairy tale. Not the happy one though. Like the ones that were originally written by the brothers Grimm, or whatever they were called. Those stories never ended happily, most of the time. But this time, mine will. And you won't be stopping me. Now show yourself, the real you. Not a psychic projection of you. The real you."

Then I heard some clapping as he Laxus came forward from the shadows and he said, "Good job Natsu. You figured me out. But that doesn't change anything. I'm still going to kill you. There is no happy ending here. Not today. Never again for you."

I sighed and charged him this time. He was ready and we started trading blows, or would have if he was fast enough. I landed a punch to his that was so fast I created sparks just from the friction my hand made with the air. Then I spun on him and delivered a roundhouse kick to his knee and swept his knees out from under him. Then, before he hit the ground I elbowed him in the gut and he made another crater in the ground.

I loomed over him and said menacingly, "Stop this Laxus. Even if that wasn't your all, that was at least fifty percent for you. That was me at twenty five percent, no power just speed right now. You're no match. Give up and leave. I don't want to kill you, but if you keep this up then you will end up dead." I stood up more and was ready to leave.

But Laxus wasn't, and he came quickly from his spot in the crater and attacked. He landed a punch to my chin, barely grazing it as I tried to dodge. Then he followed it up with a punch to my jaw, this time connecting with it. I stumbled back as Laxus charged and yelled, "Lightning Punch!" His fist became engulfed in lightning and he did an uppercut to my stomach. My feet left the ground and then he yelled, "Lightning Kick!" His foot became engulfed in lightning this time and he kicked me in the back. I crashed into the ground and made a small crater where I landed.

But I quickly got up and looked at him, blinking at his attacks. "What was that it? Sorry, I thought a kid was punching me. And here I thought you actually trained." I cracked my neck before I added, "Now watch what happens when you reach your full potential."

I grabbed him while yelling; "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" and he went flying. I used my magic to propel myself after him, creating little flames from my feet like jetpacks. I flew after him and caught him before he hit the wall and punched him a few times in the face. Then I threw him and yelled, "Fire Dragon's Machine Gun!" I made my hands into little gun shapes and shot fire at him. Whenever they reached him they exploded and they did so for several minutes. I charged after him again, after he had recovered partially from the last attack and yelled, "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" I flew at him even faster as my whole body lit on fire, and when I reached him I head butted him in the gut.

He went even further into the ground than he already was, and if I had to guess he most likely hit bedrock. Then he came flying out of there in his lightning body mode. I sighed at him, hoping that by showing him that he was outmatched he would just give up. 'That would be no fun though. We haven't had a serious battle in years, and you can't count the battle with those demon dragons, that was just me killing them. Hmm, maybe this can still be fun. Not like he stands a chance right now. Wait, I got it!'

I looked at him as he floated down to earth and said, "So you're still awake. Good, if that had finished you off that would have been boring. But you're still no match for me." I grabbed something from my belt put it on my right arm, "So I'm going to help you out. I won't use my right arm from now on. That thing I just put on it is a rune creator, meant for use when training. When used it can trap a body part to your body and you cannot use it unless you deactivate it. So here's my challenge to you. Make me use both arms."

I tapped the rune creator and it came to life, trapping my arm to my body and leaving me down a hand. Laxus was not amused, "Don't mock me! I'm gonna make you use both arms in less than an instant!" He roared and tore his shirt off.

"Whoa there. I don't swing that way, and you're not Gray. Put that shirt back on please." I joked, making him even more mad than before. Then I understood what he was doing as he released more of his magical energy and went into his dragon slayer mode. "That's right. You weren't trained by a dragon but had a lacrima inserted into your body. You have to unleash your dragon slayer magic to use it. You're actually a lightning mage first. Tch, no wonder you were so weak. No matter, you're still no match for me though."

Then I backed up my talk as I charged him, upon him before he could even blink. I lit my fist on fire as I yelled, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" I punched him in the gut and followed it up with, "Fire Dragon's Claw!" My feet lit on fire and I spun on him, giving him a roundhouse kick to his arm. He went flying but caught himself before he hit a wall. He used his lightning body and came back to where I was and for the first time we actually exchanged blows. I punched him in the gut and he landed one to my open side, the one where my arm was trapped. Then we both punched each other in the face and I was able to land a quick kick to his arm, the right one. It looked as if we were going to have an even exchange for a moment. But before he could jump out of my reach, I landed a kick to his arm again and followed it up by yelling, "Fire Dragon's Raging Palm!" I hit him in the gut with my palm and had a little bit of fire on the palm. When I hit him the fire caused an explosion and he went flying again.

I watched as he caught himself and huffed in frustration, his breathing becoming uneven as he became a little tired. "What's wrong Laxus? I thought you said you could make me use both arms in an instant. Well, as you can see, I'm still only using one. Come on now. Give me your best! Or this will be over quickly." As I finished mocking him he roared and charged again.

This time I decided to show him the gap in our speed, instead of our strength. He threw a flurry of punches at me and I dodged every single one. He would throw one at my head and I simply moved my head. He would throw a hook at me and I simply jumped back a bit. He tried an uppercut and I just leaned back, hands in my pocket like I wasn't fighting. He got frustrated and he threw a punch with even more force behind it and this time I thought it would be fun to show him how futile this attack was. I put my hand up and caught his fist, squeezing it as he tried to keep the punch going. I smirked at him and twisted his arm, causing him to howl in pain and fall to his knees. I let go and yelled, "Fire Dragon's Claw!" and kicked him in the face.

He went flying again and I yawned, bored of how easy this was. "What this it? And you call yourself the master of the strongest guild in all of Fiore. Pfft, pathetic. Come on already! Go all out!" I yelled at him and he got up from where he landed. He was breathing a lot more unevenly than before and I sighed, knowing he was already reaching his limit. "Come on, really? You're running out of gas already? And you call yourself a wizard saint. Where's Jura? Maybe he would be a challenge. Then again he couldn't beat Nena and she wouldn't stand a chance against me. Oh well, I guess there really is no one here that can make me go all out anymore. Maybe no one in the world can." I said and looked at him, becoming disappointed in how this was turning out.

"How hard would you say you're going?" He asked and that surprised me.

"Sixty percent max. Maybe closer to fifty in all reality but I'm not sure it has been a while since I fought all out for a long time." I answered honestly and he nodded.

"This is me at about ninety right now. Key word being: now. You know of second origin correct?" He said and my eyes bulged in response. I nodded and he continued, "You see, I have had my second origin unlocked, but I have not unleashed it. I did not see the need to. Until now." Markings covered his body and I recognized it as the marking of second origin. I saw him smirking and I started smirking as well, excited to see just how much he grew in power.

He charged, and was much faster this time. He landed a punch to my gut before I could stop him and then landed one to my jaw and finished it up by yelling, "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" He generated lightning in his hands and put them together, then brought them down on me from above. I was crushed into the ground and created a small crater as I did so. I blinked after the dust had settled and groaned for once, actually feeling the force of his blows for once. I laughed in excitement as I got up and looked at him.

"Finally! You finally made me feel some pain! Finally! Now we can actually start fighting!" I yelled and tapped my right arm, deactivating the runes. I released some more magical energy and felt myself nearing seventy five percent of my full strength. Then I really let him know how serious this was getting as I went into my fire lightning dragon mode. "Ready?" I asked and didn't wait for an answer. I charged him and punched him in the gut. Then I kept punching him in the torso and landed every single punch. I was so fast that he could barely even see me and I just kept punching him for a minute. Then I stopped and yelled, "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" and landed one last blow to his face.

He went flying and I laughed, excited that I could actually go this hard. I watched as he hit the ceiling and then hit the ground. He didn't get up for a minute and I thought that I had gone too far and had knocked him out. But then he eventually got up but did so very slowly. I looked and saw that he was coughing up blood and knew it was almost over. "Really? Was that all you have to offer? I know that was me at eighty percent but come on. Hey you know what let's see just how strong you are now. I'll give you one free shot. Hit me with your best attack and I'll see just how strong you are. Come on hit me!" I said and put my hands out like I was a starfish to emphasize my point.

He looked at me in contempt and walked over to where I was. I made a motion with my hands, saying to come at me and I stood there, waiting for his best shot. Then he put his hands together and yelled, "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Roaring Thunder!" He punched me with all of his strength and put almost all of his magic into the attack. I went flying and hit the wall, almost going through it. I groaned and coughed up some blood. But then I shook my head and peeled myself off the wall.

I looked at Laxus and he was done. He was breathing heavily and he looked ready to fall over from exhaustion. I got up and cracked my neck. Then I started stretching before I looked at Laxus. He was in disbelief, shocked that it looked like I hadn't even been hit by his attack. "How… I- I- I put everything into that attack…" He said in utter disbelief.

"I would tell you how I got this strong but it would take too long. Just know those five years away were quite useful. Now, got to sleep, you can't keep this up anymore." I said and sighed, then looked for the exit, exiting my fire lightning mode as I made to leave.

"NO! Wait, I have one more attack left!" Laxus yelled and I looked back at him.

I saw him standing up and I remembered the one attack that could actually defeat me, 'Fairy Law… And he can use it! But if he uses that he'll kill himself! I can't let him use it!' I started running at him, activating both my fire lightning mode and my dragon force as I did. "Laxus don't do it! You'll kill yourself if you do that technique in your current state!"

"Better we both go down than losing to you! Now prepare to die!" He yelled and mustered every bit of magical energy he had left. I charged him at full speed and reached him soon after. He had begun to cast the spell but I was still in time. I yelled, "Crimson Lotus: Exploding Lightning Blade!" and the spell hit him in time. A vortex of fire and lightning hit him and almost immediately he was out cold. He went flying and I grabbed him before he hit the wall and then dropped him to the floor.

I sighed and felt a massive weight come off my shoulders, a burden being taken off that I didn't even know I was carrying. I smiled and walked out of the basement, now a free man in every sense of the term. Except for the literal one but that would come soon, my fairy tale was almost near it's end. And for that, I was glad. 'My story is near it's end. Not my life, just my contributions to society. Hopefully I never need to go all out, ever. Well, except for whenever Hoshi gets a boyfriend but other than that never again. If that happens, then I know the world is safe.' I finally reached the exit and looked back one more time, and smiled softly. My fairy tale ending was now unfolding in front of my eyes.

Then I realized that Lucy never updated me once and I ran outside and to the roof. I saw everyone but her there but they were still celebrating. I saw Levy and asked her, "Why are you here?" She was about to answer but I stopped her, "You know what who cares. Better question: Where's Luc?"

She smiled and said, "Dealing with Juvia and Gray. She just finished; she'll be right back. You can relax now Natsu, you won." I realized how tense I must have looked and sat down, visibly relaxing.

I sat for a few minutes until Lucy got there and then I stood up and ran over to her. I gave her a hug and she returned it. "It's finally over Natsu. We're free again."

"Yes. Yes we are." I said and in that moment felt like I was in a kid's fairy tale, holding my princess after freeing her from the clutches of evil. And in that moment, my fairy tale ending was achieved, once and for all.

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**A/N: There. The conflicts are over now. No more sad struggles or fighting. The climax has been reached and the battle is over for Natsu and Lucy now. Next comes the resolution and that is gonna be two chapters long. Then it will be over. Wednesday is the day and since I have no school tomorrow it will be done Wednesday, for sure. Well that's all for today, Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 65: I know I've lost

**A/N: Two. That's all that remains of the main story. Epilogues will happen, but as of Wednesday, you won't be seeing anything from me for at least two weeks. Maybe more, I need to rest. Well, enough of the sadness, onto the shout outs: today we have as always sashaXmafuyuFOREVER, Dazz Tugz again, and Matty G91 and to answer your question you'll see soon enough. Now ENJOY THE SECOND TO LAST MAIN STORY CHAPTER!**

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Half an Hour Later (Natsu POV)

I'm still hugging Lucy when I hear a gasp from someone and I turn to see the members of Fairy Tail that did not partake in the battles standing there. I turn to face them and see the one who was gasping was Mirajane and I ask, "What? You thought we would actually lose? Please."

Then Elfman stepped forward and asked, "No I knew you would win, but tell me: Why did you kill Lisanna?!" His voice did not have his usual tough man bravado and instead sounded desperate to know the truth.

Then surprisingly Mirajane spoke up, her voice still a little shaky from her surprise about something, "I know why." I looked at her confused, wondering if she really did know.

(POV Change to Mirajane)

I paused a moment, wondering, 'Should I really tell them the real truth? Should I justify Natsu and Lucy's actions? Can I really do this to my own sister, throw her under the bus? Because the fact of the matter is that she did do everything they accuse her of and she was also becoming a demon. I knew ever since the beginning, but I thought I could stop it. I failed. What should I do? Live with the secret as my own, or tell my nakama the truth? But if they know the truth, would they still think of Lisanna as a murdered nakama or as a demon that needed to die? I- I-I- can't be certain of their reaction… I know what I must do.'

I looked at Natsu and my stare became a glare, as I leaked out some of my demon aura and said, "He did it because he has no capacity to take any responsibility. He hurt Lucy and lied to her, saying it was Lisanna. He is a murderer and a liar, he killed anyone who drew his ire and somehow, our poor little Lisanna drew his. There is no other rhyme or reason for him to do it. He just did it because he can."

Then I saw Natsu scoff and turn away, before saying, "You all know what the truth actually is. If not, then oh well. Everyone, let's go. We have a guild to found. And a guildhall to rebuild. Ugh, anyone know a good construction company we can call?"

Then a dragon appeared, the dragon being Metalicana I recognized as he had come several times to visit Gajeel. I called out to Levy, asking, "So what? You're just gonna leave? Just like that? Even after calling this place home for so long and calling us your nakama for so long, you're just dumping is like we were trash? Huh? HUH?!" I then realized I was shaking now, my quiet anger at the betrayal that I did not see coming now being visible for all to see.

Levy looked at all of her ex-fellow guild members and sighed sadly before saying, "This place no longer feels like my home anymore. I'm sorry we never told you guys this, but Gajeel and I along with our family stayed with them for over a week before we finally reported in. And we felt like that was our home. It felt right being there, and here… it doesn't anymore. It feels wrong to call this home now. I'm sorry everyone, but the Redfoxes are now Ronin."

She looked ready to cry as she said everything, sad by the fact that she was leaving the place she called home. But she also looked determined. Like she knew this was the right choice. She turned and joined everyone on Metalicana's back, and then they flew off, leaving us all there alone and defeated once again. Then I saw three flying cats following them and that was when I started crying, even the exceeds were leaving us now. Fairy Tail would never be the same.

I felt a strong hand on my back and I turned to see Elfman who said, "Come on. We have to get everyone to an infirmary room. Let's go." I nodded, knowing he was right and began walking down to the entrance, silently crying knowing my home had just been destroyed from the inside out.

Three Hours Later

We finally finished moving everyone who was inside to an infirmary room, but could not find Sting or Rogue. Then we found them tied up already inside the guild with a note saying. "To wherever they go, may they know they got owned. –Ronin" We sighed and called Sabertooth to come and pick them up. Their plan had failed, just like all of our plans had.

I sighed and went to check on everyone and saw Olive arriving from wherever Laxus had told her to stay. I sighed as she ran up to me and I pointed her to Laxus's room. She thanked me and I watched her go off, off to her husband. I watched and saw something I had missed about her before, she was carrying a sleeping Maks and it was then that I realized that maybe not all hope was lost. 'The present make up of the guild is ruined, but its future is still bright. Maks is already born and should be strong, Juvia and Gray will have some babies (THEY WILL BE ADORABLE!) and everyone else will have babies too! And new people will come. The guild is actually more enticing than before, a chance to restore Fairy Tail's glory? Who wouldn't want that? Yes, right now we are in a bad situation, but the future will be just fine!'

I smiled, for the first time in a while, and it was genuine. It wasn't a very big smile but it was a smile of hope. Hope in our future. I straightened myself up, washed my face since I had been crying, and got back to work. Work that will never be done as far as I'm concerned.

One Week Later (POV Change to Laxus)

I wake up and sit up almost immediately. But it was a mistake, as I felt every muscle in my body protest. I lay back down and groan and I hear Olive sigh, "Come on Sparky. You should know the drill, you fight and then sleep for a week and feel like a dragon landed on you. Now stop trying to move and rest."

I looked at her and sighed, "I know. I also know I've lost again. Again. I worked so hard and yet… He beat me again. Am I really that inferior to him? Is the gap really that big…"

I was cut off as Olive slapped me. Then she slapped me again for good measure when I tried to finish my question. I was about to say something else but then she almost slapped me again, so I said quickly, "WAIT! Wait, I just wanted to say your right. I'm being a baby I know. I just wanted to win so badly. I'm the master of Fairy Tail for a reason, I should be able to protect everyone and yet I failed. I understand that no one is going to judge me or think less of me because of it but I do! I feel like I failed Jiji again. Just like all those years ago…"

"No, you have not." Someone said and I looked to see gramps and Mavis there in the room. "You fought admirably and have done your very best. You protected everyone and was willing to sacrifice yourself for the guild. You almost did what every master of Fairy Tail wishes they could do, but hopes that never happens. You were willing to sacrifice yourself and everything you have for those you call your nakama. That is something that is truly admirable. Truly." Gramps looked at me and smiled.

Then I looked at Mavis and she merely nodded with a soft smile on her face before she said, "You have done what many wish to do. And you have done so without needing our guidance as much as I thought you would. You have impressed me greatly seventh master. I am proud to call you the master of Fairy Tail."

I looked at them and saw them both beaming at me, and I finally felt like I had done something right. But there was one question I knew needed to be asked but I dreaded asking, "What happened to Ronin? Were they granted their freedom or…?"

Olive sighed and handed me a paper, it was dated six days ago and I opened it, _"Ronin Victorious! The group known as Ronin had successfully defeated the guild coalition in their rematch and has down so with a clean sweep. But not before having been betrayed by rogue mages Mern Greer and Karr Strauss, whose whereabouts are unknown. But they assure us as does the council that they are looking for them. But now back to Ronin, they have successfully earned the approval of the council and are now considered a legal guild. The agreement put forth by the council was signed early this morning by the newly minted Ronin guild master, Natsu Dragneel and his advisor Esoj Anoren. The two shook hands with each council member and then took several pictures with each one individually (On page 22) before leaving. They are now home at their guild in Naito and are currently renovating the guildhall, it should be done within the next week. As for Fairy Tail and the others in the guild coalition, we have two mages who will now be retiring: Gildarts Clive (Age) and Jura Neekis the leader of the coalition (Injuries: Back and Age). The others including guild masters Laxus Dreyar of Fairy Tail and Sting Eucliffe of Sabertooth have yet to wake up but are expected to pull through and make full recoveries. In other mage news…_

I sighed and put the paper down and said in a low whisper, "Damn you Natsu. You did get your fairy tale ending. Oh well." Then in a louder voice said, "Olive, find Freed and Bickslow for me. They should be back from the mission to protect the council that I sent them on along with Evergreen, I want to give them new orders." She nodded and poked her head outside and the two men I wanted came right in.

"Good you were waiting, here's the new game plan. Tell everyone who sends us requests that we are open for business again. Freed I want you to go to the master's meeting for me, it's in three days and I will in no shape or form be capable of travel by then. Bickslow, I want you to go to Era and report to the council that we are open for business again. After that, I want you to go to Naito and, yes I'm being serious here, and take Ronin a congratulatory gift on becoming a guild. We may hate them but we must seem like gracious losers at least. We will have to work with them eventually anyways so might as well do this now and pretend like there are no hard feelings. Understood?" They both nodded, smiles on their faces due to my maturity in this situation, "Good. Now go. Oh and Freed, please send Erza to check on Wendy and Doranbolt. I'm pretty sure she hasn't heard what happened."

Freed was about to leave when I gave him his last order and nodded over his shoulder. I sighed and looked at gramps, who simply said, "Well done Laxus. You must show everyone how to move on first then everyone else can as well."

I nodded and looked at my hands for some odd reason. Then I looked at gramps and Mavis and said, "You know, I thought I would be madder about losing. But yet, I can't seem to feel the rage that I should feel. No instead I just, I don't know, don't feel anything about my lost. Like…"

"Like while you lost you still won on a subconscious level?" Mavis asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, that's it. Hmmm, maybe because I did. I think I grew up that day. I think I really did. I lost that anger that was inside of me. I think it was replaced by, well, your spirits. The spirit of kinship and the spirit of nakama. I may have been desperate to try and use fairy law in that situation, but now I think I know why I didn't care if I died. If it was to protect my nakama, then it was worth it." I said and everyone in the room beamed at me. Even little Maks did, though I assume t had something to do with the smell that was coming from his direction that almost had me vomiting from one whiff. "UGH! Olive change his diaper."

"You do it." She said back curtly.

"How the fuck am I supposed to do it if I can't even move right now?!" I yelled/asked her, our moment now ruined.

"I don't give a fuck how, just do it!" She yelled back at me and we started yelling at each other, but did so with smiles on our faces, knowing that whatever the outcome, today was a win.

(POV Change to Gray)

I watch as Freed and Bickslow run off, smiles on their faces and I sigh, "Don't they even realize we lost?"

"Yes, but they do not hate those we fought like we do. Juvia will never forgive Lucy for what she did." Juvia said and I nodded. I turned to my wife and looked at her. Seeing an angel I thought I must be the luckiest man alive and that I was lucky that she was mine forever.

I sighed again and took her by the arm and said, "Come on. We just got released from here so let's go home. We have a year of… um well you know to make up so let's get busy."

She blushed and looked like she a blue tomato, her hair now normal again. I laughed and led us out of the guild and back to our home, happy that she was safe again. But also thinking about Natsu and Lucy, 'If we ever meet again, I will kill you. Don't know how I will, but I will. You nearly ruined my life and I will never forgive you Natsu, and especially you Lucy. From now on, the Fullbusters and the Dragneels are mortal enemies.'

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**A/N: Fin. Well at least for Fairy Tail… although there might be a lemon upcoming for a certain couple… Guess if you want. I hope it's pretty obvious. Now I'm not saying there is going to be one but there might be, there will be maybe, one at the start of next chapter. MAYBE. Probably. SO, the next chapter will be the last one and I hope you guys enjoyed this one. And I hope no one cries or anything that this is ending because as it is said, "All Good Things Must End. As Must All Mediocre Things Too. And All The Bad Things… You know what everything ends eventually so yeah. Everything ends." Well after making fun of a very good quote, Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 66: Correlation Does Not Imply Causation

**A/N: The end is here. We have reached the end of the main story. I don't even know what to say. I'll just give a shout out to my usual and constant reviewers in sashaXmafuyuFOREVER and brucie86. ENJOY THE FINALE. WARNING LEMON IS AT THE START! SKIP TO ******END******** If you do not wish to see it.**

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At the Fullbuster House (Gray POV)

We walk into our house and look around. I see the ice sculpture there and then see our room, the door open. I look in the kitchen and can already picture how our lives would go: Juvia would get up early like always. I would linger in bed and then smell breakfast. I would get up and go to the table joined, eventually not right away (hopefully), by our kids. The picture of our lives, our lives together forever, brings a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. I did not think that I would get this, not until a week ago. Not until I found my Juvia, my angel again.

The tear dropped down my face and Juvia, who was leaning lovingly into my body with our arms intertwined, asked, "Are you alright Gray-sama?"

"Yeah. Just thinking about how lucky I am for having found you again. I was worried I would never see you again." I said and she wiped away the tear with a kiss.

"It's like we vowed at our wedding Gray-sama. Juvia would wait for you forever, as would Gray-sama for Juvia. And we did just that." She said and kissed me on the lips, and I swore the earth crashed around us for a second.

She pulled away and looked at me, smiling softly and I saw what an angel's eyes must have looked like. They contained love and compassion, kindness and selflessness, they were caring and had every possible emotion related to love possible. They made my heart melt and I returned her kiss. But this time much more passionately. She moaned at the sudden kiss and she opened her mouth. Her tongue slipped between my lips and our tongues danced, a dance they had not done in over a year. We both moaned and broke apart for air, both a bit unused to kissing and holding our breaths like we were before. But then I looked into her eyes again and saw the love in them.

I forgot about my lack of oxygen and kissed her again, this time my tongue entered her mouth and I picked her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist and I walked over to a wall. I pinned her against it and started trailing kisses down her neck, sucking every now and then so it would make a hickey. Then I started getting lower down her neck to where her chest was and she said in between moans, "Gray-sama, bedroom." I nodded and kissed her again.

I walked us over to the bedroom and entered the room. I kicked the door closed behind us and then carefully deposited her on the bed. I went to take off my shirt but realized it was gone already, 'Well, my stripping habit is back. Oh well, it has its uses.' Juvia was taking off her shirt and as soon as she did I began kissing her again. I rolled us over so she was on top, or maybe she did I wasn't sure. I'm too busy making out to really care, and then she started trailing kisses down my neck. I moaned as her lips were angel soft and she started making her way down my body.

She reached my torso and noticed a new scar that I had, she looked at me as I f asking how. I mouthed later and she nodded, and then proceeded to kiss the length of my scar. Then she made her down to my pants and gave them a tug. She then realized I still had my belt on and made quick of them, throwing them to where her shirt was. Then she helped as I shimmied out of my pants and was left in my boxers. She saw the rough outline of my cock and saw it was hard. She giggled and mumbled something about it being as big as she remembered and gave it a kiss. The feeling of her soft lips on it made moan out louder than before in pure ecstasy, and she did it again. Then she grabbed it and I swore I saw stars, feeling something I had not felt in a long while.

Then when she was done teasing me she pulled off my boxers. She threw into the ever-growing pile of clothes and then took my entire cock in her mouth. She did it for a split second before releasing it and taking a deep breath, then only took about half in. I moaned and grinned at her attempt to take it in all at once, then kept moaning as she got a consistent pace going. She found a perfect pace, a little fast but not too fast to where all the pleasure is gone too quickly. After a few more moments I got close to cumming and said in between moans, "Juvia stop. I don't want to come just yet. At least, not in your mouth."

She nodded and took my cock out of her mouth and crawled up my body. When she reached my head, she kissed me and it was a long and sweet kiss. Gentle and tender instead of quick, rough, and lustful like it usually was. This kiss was us showing how much we loved each other, and if that was the case then I could have died right then and there. My life was complete as I was with the woman that had stolen my heart and I couldn't be happier. But I could finish what we had started.

I flipped our positions and broke the kiss. Then I positioned myself and looked at her. She groaned as I teased her by rubbing the head of my cock on her vagina and said, "Gray-sama… Please!" I smirked at her but complied, pushing all the way in. It was tight and I moaned and groaned at her tightness, and she moaned at the feeling of my cock inside of her. I pulled back a bit until only the head was still inside then slammed back in. She moaned and I groaned at how tight she was, but kept going building up a steady pace. Then she started meeting me halfway, bucking her hips into my thrusts and soon enough we were both close. I felt her tightening even more and I felt myself close as well. We both yelled loudly and came one after the other, me first and after a couple of more thrusts Juvia came as well.

We both were panting and breathing hard, and I slumped down on top of her. I kissed her forehead and said, "You are simply perfect. Everything about you is. I'm so happy we're back together." She smiled as I looked at her and kissed me on the cheek. Then I realized how tired I was now and asked, "Wanna just sleep and figure what we need to get tomorrow?"

She smiled and said, "Yes. Juvia is very tired now." I smiled at her and rolled off of her, and then spooned her. She grabbed the covers and threw them over us and soon enough, we were both asleep. Smiling as we did as we were sleeping in each other's arms, doing so for the first time in a long time. And in that moment, nothing else mattered, not even my undying hatred of anything remotely related to anything Dragneel. For the moment. 'Fuck! I didn't wear a condom! If she gets pregnant… Eh I'll be happy. Especially if it's a boy! That way he kick whoever that bastard Natsu and his whore wife Lucy have as a child's ass.'

Back to the Day After the Battles-Era (Natsu POV)

I shake hands with different councilmen, as does Esoj and take a picture with each one. Each one looks at me with a forced smile and I smile genuinely at them. 'Hahahaha, loser. Their plan failed and now they're stuck doing this. I love this! I want to see each and every one of their faces as I look at them and shake their hands. I want to see how much they hate me and how they can do nothing about it… Man, I really should go to therapy. A lot of pent up anger.'

Then it was the chairman's turn and he looked at me, eyes full of contempt and hatred. But his words said the opposite as his machine for speaking said, "Natsu, my old friend! Congratulations! I knew you would win. Come, let us take a picture!" I nodded with a genuine smile on my face and our hands still in the handshake. But then I heard his voice inside my head, via telepathy obviously, and he said, 'Know this Dragneel. We made a promise and we kept it. But that doesn't mean we won't be watching you like hawks. One mess up that warrants it, and we'll brand you as a dark guild with the highest termination priority. And I promise you, you will die this time. Now go home and leave us in peace.'

I chuckled softly and told him, 'Oh I knew you were going to be like this. Trust me I knew. Just remember who will be saving the world when your other guilds fail.'

I smiled and walked away, Esoj right behind me as we walked away from the press. "Get everyone ready to rebuild as quickly as possible. And tell people we are open for business. And that we are accepting new members and welcome anyone as long as they wish to use their magic for good. Oh and is the photographer in Naito yet?"

We reached Metalicana who was waiting for us with Gajeel as Esoj said, "Yes he arrived this morning. Should I put a distance limit on how far we ask for requests or does that not matter to you?"

I shrugged as we boarded and said, "Nope. It's up to you. Just remember as of now we have only nine mages. So we can't be taking too many jobs. Gajeel, how is the rebuilding going? Any progress?"

He nodded as we took off and Esoj looked like me in a train, "Yeah, I'd say next week at the latest we should be able to move in. Oi, dad! Hurry up and get home I'm starving here!"

"Yeah same here Metalicana! Haven't eaten since breakfast! And that was three hours ago!" I said and Esoj puked at the mention of food.

"Wait, you ate breakfast? When? We all got up at the same time." Gajeel asked and I cursed my slip up.

"Umm, well they had some at the signing and photo thing…" I said and saw Gajeel's face contort.

"THEY WHAT?! YOU MOTHER FUCKER I WAS FUCKING HUNGRY TOO! YOU SAID THEY WOULDN'T HAVE ANY FOOD! YOU BASTARD!" He yelled and looked like he wanted to kill me, again.

"Hey that's what they told me! They said to eat beforehand because there was not going to be any food, most likely!" I said defensively.

Gajeel sighed and said, "You're lucky we're in the air or I'd kick your ass back to Naito."

"HA! Like you could even touch me. I could kick your ass with no hands!" I said mockingly.

"You wanna go Salamander?" He asked and put his head to mine.

I pushed back and said, "Yeah, yeah I do!"

That was when Metalicana spoke up and said, "We're back. We have been for a bit now. Get off my back now so I can go and sleep. Oh and you're wives heard everything. Good luck."

He flew off as we got off and we saw our wives. They did not look too happy as Esoj was snickering at us until Nena smacked him in the head. "You're late." They said in unison and I knew we were in trouble.

"The photographer is waiting, let's go." Lucy said impatiently and we both nodded and walked over to everyone else quickly.

The photographer looked at us and smiled and said, "Ok, everyone get with their respective pair and look at the camera. The cats and the dragons too! Natsu and Lucy you stand in the middle! Redfoxes next to them on the right and the Anorens on the left! Ummm, right shadow dude and wife next to the Redfoxes and light couple next to the Anorens. The older couple next to the shadow couple and the dragons can be next to the light couple. The cats in front!" We all followed his orders and soon enough were in position. "Ok! On three say Ronin! ONE! TWO! THREE!"

"RONIN!" We all said and he started taking so many pictures from so many angles I thought my jaw was going to come off. But soon enough it was over and he handed us a photo that was ready. It was perfect and I showed everyone the picture. We all had matching guild marks on various places and we all looked genuinely happy. We all smiled and pointed out each other's mishaps, but felt like a family when doing so. And that was when I think we all felt it. We all felt freedom and like we were free. 'Free at last and it feels so good. Who would have thought that this would happen, there is no correlation here. We have two soldiers, two ex dark mages, and four legit guild mages, one of whom was a dark mage at one point. But it's as they say, correlation does not imply nor mean causation. We may not seem likely to start a guild together and become a family, but yet here we are.'

"Hey Natsu, come on! Dinner is ready! Well, at least the first dinner for you!" Lucy said breaking me out of my reverie, and I smiled and joined my happy family. I picked up Hoshi from where she was with Virgo and started chatting with each of my family members, my new nakama. And I finally felt free and easy, like I was when I was with Fairy Tail before. 'But I have a new home. And I couldn't be happier! I may never forgive them but I could care less right now.'

"I'm home."

Many Years Later (3rd Person POV)

"Grandpa!" A little girl with blonde hair yelled and ran up to an older man, her grandfather. The man scooped her up in a hug and swung her around. The girl giggled and asked him, "Grandpa! Can you tell me a story? Maybe from when you were younger and awesome!"

"Oi! I'm still awesome! Just not young. But alright, let me tell you the story of a man called Natsu Dragneel, and his escapades as a member of Ronin." The man said and the girl looked at him and pouted.

"But you always tell me about him. I don't even know why you like him so much." The girl said.

"How could you not? He was perhaps the most amazing man I ever knew. He was strong and powerful and never lost as a member of Ronin. Plus he had pink hair! How cool is that!" The old man said and the girl's face lit up.

"PINK?! I LOVE PINK! Ok Grandpa you can tell me more about him! Hey wait a minute… Isn't your hair…" The girl started and the old man stopped her.

The old man looked at her and said, "Let me tell you about him, then I'll answer your question. Now let me begin when…"

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**A/N: Sniff. It's over. The main story is over. My baby is now all grown up and ready to move on. BUT not before some epilogues. This is a sad moment for me, I worked so hard on this story but now that it's done, it's sad. I had fun doing this but I know that it's not over yet. I still have epilogues and who knows, maybe a sequel to write. Don't worry, it will be shorter than this one if I do write one. If I do it will not be a topic addressed in the epilogues, so stayed tuned please! Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS! FIN!**


	68. Chapter 68

Epilogue 1: The New Guy

**A/N: Well I'm back! Did I say two weeks off? HA! Like I could stay away that long. That week off was truly amazing, I took so many naps! And as an FYI, all epilogues will be flashbacks to the past and all told in Natsu POV, the epilogues take place Thirty years after the end of the main story. NOW ENJOY THE FIRST EPILOGUE!**

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The Year X829 (Third Person POV)

The old man looked at her and said, "Let me tell you about him, then I'll answer your question. Now let me begin when Natsu and the Ronin welcomed their first new guild member. It was the year X799…"

_Flashback-Naito X799- Four Months After the Rematch (Natsu POV)_

_I walk around the bar and look at our newly rebuilt guildhall, and smile softly. 'Wow. It looks amazing! And everyone is doing well in not totally wrecking the place yet! But that is partially because everyone is usually gone on jobs, since there are so few of us. Eight mages that can actually go on jobs, and Kurayami is always out on business for us.' I sigh as Lucy walks down from her room and waves at me, 'At least Luce is here right now. Everyone else is all over the place. Heck, Esoj and Nena took a job in New Hargeon. I can't wait for New Hargeon to be completely finished. It's gonna be just like Hargeon was, just newer. I wonder what their job was though…"_

"_Natsu? Woohoo! Natsu you still in there? Are you okay?" Lucy asked, breaking me out of my thoughts and looks me in the eye._

"_Yeah, just marveling at how far we have come. Everyone is doing well, out on jobs, happy more or less. It really is like a real guild now! Now all that we need is a new member! Hey Kurayami, wake up!" I yelled at the guild's most senior member, who was also our business negotiator, who was asleep after getting back from his long journey. He shot his head up and walked over to us, well jogged since he was sleeping on the job. When he reached us I asked, "Did you get that lacrima you were telling me about?"_

_Kurayami smirked and nodded as he said, "Of course. I am your negotiator no? How could I not come back with such a useful device?"_

_Lucy looked at the two of us going back and forth between us, waited for an explanation, and then asked exasperatedly, "Well? What does this special lacrima do?!" _

_Kurayami smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked Lucy! You see here…" He pulled out the lacrima and it was surprisingly small for what he said it could do, "This an identification lacrima. This pointed edge here." He pointed to the only sharp edge on the round lacrima, "It actually has a vial on the inside of it. What you do is you take the finger of someone. And then you put it on the edge and it will prick your finger. Watch." He took his right pointer finger and poked the edge. It pricked his finger like he said and pulled away and there was a small bubble of blood on his finger. He took a napkin and dabbed it away then put the napkin on top to stop the bleeding as he said, "Now. After that the vial inside will match the DNA in the blood to the person you just tried to identify. Watch."_

_We watched and a moment later a projection spouted from the lacrima. It was a projection of Kurayami, his face and all of his information that is publically accessible was on display now. I look and also saw a small arrest record, his only crime being, "Public Nudity? What, you secretly a Fullbuster?" I asked and he laughed._

"_No, no. Just got really drunk once. But that is beside the point. With this lacrima we can identify people who want to join the guild and see how dangerous of a criminal they are and if they are suitable to have in this guild. It will save us a lot of trouble later on." Kurayami said and we all saw as Yuko, his wife, walked in. She looked at the lacrima and saw the arrest record and face palmed. "What honey? You remember that night right?"_

_Yuko shook her head and walked away, clearly trying to forget that night. "What? You were just as…"_

"_YOU FINISH THAT SENTENCE AND I'LL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!" Yuko yelled and Kurayami flinched in fear. _

_I laughed at him as did Lucy and he pouted at us. I patted him on the back and asked, "How many of those can you get? The lacrima is absolutely perfect. When can we get more?"  
><em>

"_More? Geez man these won't be easy to get. I got this one off a guy who owed me a favor, actually three but this one cancelled all three favors out. Buying one would cost us about three million jewels apiece and they're not made in bulk. It's expensive to make just one and the fact that I got this one for free is a miracle. And…"_

_He was going to continue but I stopped him by putting my hand up and said, "You forget, I'm loaded now. In my vault in my room I have enough to buy ten of them. Take half of that money and buy us five. Go and hurry so we can get orders in if necessary. Lucy you have a job lined up for yourself?"_

_"Yes, it's local so it shouldn't take too long. I'll be back for dinner around the same time Gajeel and Levy are scheduled to get back. BEHAVE. You are the guild master now after all. Bye honey." Lucy said as she gave me a kiss and ran off._

_I sighed as now I was alone again and decided to just have a drink. I sat down at the bar and looked around, the guildhall was very nicely built. The main colors were a dark mahogany and black, with an accent, yes I know what that means, of a light blue. It's very neutral for everyone and was designed by all the women here. The guild mark however was not. A professional artist whose name I don't care enough to remember designed it and it is amazing. It's a samurai helmet with a massive crack down the middle with a daimyo split in half. It tells our story perfectly and is a source of true pride for me. Mine is where my guild mark from Fairy Tail was, my right shoulder/arm area._

_FLASBACK INTERRUPTION_

"Hey Grandpa, isn't that the same mark as Natsu…" The little girl asked but was shushed by the older man.

"Let me finish and I'll answer any questions. OK?" The older man asked and the little girl nodded, keeping her hands over her mouth. The older man laughed and said, "Now where was I… Ah yes. Now…"

_BACK TO FLASHBACK_

_I looked at the mark and smiled. Then I heard the guild doors fly open and I saw a man at the door. He looked like he was bad news and I immediately lit my hands on fire. He looked as if he were shrouded in darkness and had a scowl on his face. But as soon as he saw me he relaxed and his features brightened. Then something even weirder happened, he shrunk back down and looked like he was fourteen or something. "is this the mage guild Ronin?" He asked in a very teenager voice and I looked at him confused. I nodded and he said, "Good! I have been looking for this place for a week! My name is Zoran Mithe, and I would like to join this guild!" He bowed when he asked to join the guild and I looked at him in surprise._

"_How old are you Zoran?" I asked after looking at him like he was growing a second head for a while. _

_He raised himself from his bow and said, "Fourteen and a half. Fifteen in June of X800. I'm from Oak Town. I have the papers here if you want proof…" He slung his bag over his shoulder so it was in front of him and started rummaging through it._

"_No, actually there is no need for that. Come here Zoran." I said and he looked at me. He jogged over excitedly and sat down next to me. I pushed over the new lacrima and said, "You see, I have this identification lacrima here. All that I need of you is to have you prick your finger on this edge. If you will." I watched as he nodded and did so. I handed him a napkin as I waited for it to find him and he stopped his bleeding. _

_The lacrma found him and his record surprised me. 'Wow! Five arrest already? All Larsony and petty theft charges. Huh, so a trouble child? Wonder why he's so much trouble? If he's an orphan I might laugh because that's Fairy Tail's forte. Not mine though. I have a dad. Ugh I hope he doesn't have a sob story. I hate those, even though mine is too.'_

"_Oh so you can see my arrest record. Well I'm not going to lie to you, I have a habit of stealing things for fun. I only got caught once and that's because I helped an old lady cross the street. You see I'm a shape-shifter mage. If I see someone I can shape shift into that person or object, like so." He stood up and suddenly he morphed into me. "But you see I'm still raw. I can't change my voice yet and I don't match my targets strength. I'm also a sound mage so that's my main form of fighting. I can control sound waves and change them. Make them louder or quieter. That kind of stuff."_

_I looked at the ceiling for a minute, pondering over what I should do next. 'Should ask more about himself? Or should I ask about his sound magic and ask for a demonstration? Or should ask about any family? NO no wait! I know what to ask!'_

"_Zoran, why do you want to join the Ronin?" I asked him and he looked up at me as he had been looking at his shoes._

_He paused for a moment, thinking carefully of why he wanted to join. Then a smile broke out on his face as he said, "Well, I know all about your story. And it reminds me of myself. People never believe me when I say I steal because its just fun. But you guys seem just crazy enough to believe me. I mean you were blamed for something you didn't do. And yet Lucy still believed you. You had someone who believed in you and that got you through your ordeal. That's what I want. People who will believe me and trust in me. And you guys have stories crazy enough to believe me! Plus you guys are simply just amazing mages. I think I could really learn a lot from you guys. I could really learn a lot about my magic with Levy as she is extremely smart and learn a lot about fighting from everyone else. Plus, uh, you probably can't tell but me and people, we don't really mix well."_

_I looked at him and saw a young man at a very important time in his life, 'He's at a crossroads. He can either use his magic for good or for evil. For stealing things that are part of a job or for dark guilds. And if he does it for dark guilds, his fighting skills won't be able to save him. While his magic can be useful, it's not meant for fighting just yet. Yet. He's right, we can make him stronger. And as he said, he deserves someone to believe in him and I do believe him. It may seem strange but I for some reason do see him stealing for fun. He seems like a weirdo. But I like weirdoes! Especially guys like him. Well I think I know my next question.'_

_I reached over the bar and grabbed something and pulled it over. I smiled at him and asked him, "Where do you want your guild mark?" He looked at me in surprise and then started crying and I said, "Oi! No crying, Ronin don't cry."_

_He looked up at me and nodded, then wiped his eyes and said, "Yes Master!" He smiled at me and I motioned with the guild mark stamper and he said, "Oh, right here!"_

_He was pointing to a spot on his chest, where with his shirt being a lower cut was visible for all to see. I smiled and put the stamper to his chest and pressed down, and the pulled back to see the guild mark there. The stamper picks a color based on the person's personality and his was black. 'Depression? No, he sees death a lot. That or he's suicidal. Well whatever the case… Wait, is it changing?'_

_Sure enough the mark was changing, it became a vibrant orange, which means joy, and I smiled at him. He looked at the mark and then at me and I told him, "The color's based on personality and mood, and orange like that means joy."_

_"Oh, that makes sense. What does a yellow like yours mean?" He asked and I smiled at him even harder than before._

_I laughed and got up, and said, "Pure Happiness. Now come, we must show you to your new room and to where everything is. Ah Kurayami, come over here." Kurayami had just walked in and saw us. He walked over and I asked him, "Did you get the orders in? Oh, and this is Zoran. He just joined our guild."_

_He smiled at Zoran and held his hand out for him to shake, "Nice to meet you Zoran, name's Kurayami. Just Kurayami, don't know my last name." They shook hands and Kurayami turned to me and said, "Yes I did. They will be here in a week. YUKO! We have a new member here and he looks starving! Please get him some food!" He yelled behind him to where the living quarters were and I looked at Zoran. _

_He wasn't very tall and was actually very, very skinny. He looked very scrawny and when Kurayami had mentioned food his eyes had lit up like food was gold now. Then I asked, "Zoran. When was the last time you ate?"_

"_Uh, a week ago? I'm not sure really, what day is it? I've been walking a while." He said and I blanched at his statement._

"_A WEEK?! How is that even possible, I starve after a few hours nowadays!" I said and Zoran laughed, then I remembered his question, "Oh and its Thursday. It's actually three weeks until Christmas." Kurayami looked at me in surprise as he must have forgotten how close it was to Christmas. _

"_Yuko! Get the other girls ready and have Virgo do the cooking. It's time to decorate for Christmas!" Kurayami yelled and I laughed at his joyous reaction. _

_Kurayami ran off as soon as Yuko, Mai, and Tsume came forth from preparing dinner and they were in Christmas land. We watched them make plans visually and we laughed at their excitement. Apparently Christmas was a big deal for them because they weren't even that excited when Gōsuto and Mai got married last month. Well Gōsuto was that happy as was Mai but this is just weirdly excited. I sighed and said, "Right, that's Yuko, Mai, and Tsume. You'll meet their husbands soon enough. Come on let's get you some food. And then I'll show you to your room, everyone in the guild lives here since the guildhall originally was a mansion. A very big mansion as you can tell. Oi, Virgo! Is his meal ready yet?"_

"_Yes master Natsu. His meal is prepared, should I take his items to his new room?" Virgo asked and surprisingly did not ask for any punishment, "Punishment for asking out of turn?"_

"_Gods, Virgo we're not going to fucking punish you! Ever! Lucy only flicked you once because she promised to, but we will not punish you!" I said and Virgo nodded and took her bags and smiled at us._

"_That will count for me master Natsu. Thank you!" She said and ran off. I was going to yell at her but didn't. _

_Instead I sighed and sat down as Zoran dug into his food. And I mean dug into it as a minute later he was grabbing seconds as if he hadn't eaten in months not a week. "Wow. Truly voracious aren't we? You ok, because this is now your third plate and it's been like five minutes…"_

"_Yeah, just very hungry. The journey on foot was hard especially since I was almost arrested twice for stealing food. I didn't bring any money and had to steal. You know? Not like my parents wanted me to come here, they wanted me to go to therapy or some stupid shit like that." Zoran said in between bites and took a fourth plate of food for himself. _

"_Yeah, I mean it's like my parents ever knew I joined a guild. Heck, I don't even know who they were, just my real dad. His name is Igneel, he's a dragon." I said and Zoran started choking on his food._

"_Wait! That story is true? You were raised by a fucking dragon?! No way!" He said and I nodded at him. "Wow. So you were raised by him and taught dragon slayer magic by a dragon? And that magic can kill him… Why would he teach you that then?" I motioned for him to walk with me, and he got up and followed me._

_I walked down the halls to his room and looked at him, "He taught me the same magic that he has. The fact that it's the only magic that can kill him is coincidence. I would never kill him anyways I love him like he is truly my birth father. Only people I met who actually killed their dragon were the Sabertooth twins. And their dragons were dying already." I said and he nodded, trying to wrap his head around everything I had said. I looked at him and patted him on the back, "Don't worry, I'm not Lucy. There's not gonna be a quiz on that stuff. But a word of warning, don't try and talk to Lucy about intellectual stuff. She'll talk to you and if you don't understand, she'll offer to teach you. DO NOT LET HER DO THAT. Her teaching is hard lessons and quizzes… Ugh." I shivered remembering how Lucy taught me to be a well-educated man. I also remember how I regretted trying to talk to her about what she liked._

_Zoran started laughing and said, "Ok master… That sounds weird. Can I call you Natsu-san?"_

_I looked at him and smiled, "Yeah, that'll do. Most people just call me Natsu but I'm going to do something for you. Since your this guild's first new member, I'm going to make you my pupil. I'm ten years older than you so it'll make for a good match. Plus I'm the strongest one here so I am obviously the best teacher." _

_He stopped walking for a minute and looked at me like I had just given him the answer to life or something. "Me, your pupil? But you barely know me. For all you know I could be…"_

_I turned around and got close to him. I put my hand on his head and said, "A suicidal teenager who has questions about who he really is? What his place in this world is? Trust me, I get it. I was branded a criminal that warranted a bounty on his head when I was nineteen. I'm twenty-five and only a yea ago I was considered the second most wanted man in Fiore. I'm young but have seen it all. And from what I have seen, I have nothing to worry about from you. I may not know you yet, but trust me by the time we're done, I will. Now come on, I need to show you your room before everyone else gets home."_

_Zoran looked at me and nodded dumbly. I patted him on the head and lead him down the halls. Oddly I felt a strange connection between us, 'Like I just decided to make him my little brother or something. Maybe I did. I just consoled him like an older brother would, and feel his pain like brothers do. Hmm, why do I though… Maybe he really was right, he is kind of like me. Well as long as he can take care of Hoshi like he's her uncle then I'll be ok with it. Oh and he better like spicy food and…'_

"_Natsu-san, I think this is my room no?" Zoran asked and I looked at him and then the door. It had his name on it and the door was open revealing all of his stuff._

"_Oh yeah, you're right. So do you want to sleep or do you have enough energy to take the tour?" I asked and he walked inside and grabbed something._

_He came out with a towel and some new clothes and said, "Bath. Haven't taken one in a week. Slept outside the whole time."_

_"SO THAT SMELL WAS YOU? Jeez I though it was the skunks again! Oh yeah take a bath right now! GO!" I said and pushed him to the bathroom so he could take a fucking bath. "Dear gods your right! Take a damn bath! Find me down in the bar when you're done! SCRUB THOROUGHLY." He laughed and I pushed him inside. _

_I sighed and walked downstairs, shaking my head. 'Well like a brother I'm already pushing him around. I wonder what Lucy will say when she meets him. She'll like him right? Yeah she'll like him as long as he doesn't ogle at her. Or say she's stupid or ugly or something, wait he has problems talking with normal people… Fuck she's going to hate him.' I walk into the main room and see that the guildhall is now a Christmas decoration store. "WHAT THE FUCK?! I never agreed to turn this place into Santa's fucking workshop! Kurayami! Explain!"  
><em>

"_Oh calm down Natsu, it looks amazing!" A female voice said from the entrance said and I turned to see Lucy there. "Kurayami, well done. Natsu I'm back, the job was way too easy and Levy and Gajeel are almost back now too. So what did I miss?"_

"_Master Natsu punished me and welcomed in a new member to the guild. His name is Zoran Mithe." Virgo said and I glared at her. Lucy had a strict no punishing Virgo policy, and I somehow violated it by punishing her._

_But that didn't register with Lucy as she was surprised that someone new had come. "Zoran? Where is he from?"_

"_Oak Town. He's young, fourteen years old. He's a pretty good kid in reality. Only thing is he likes to steal for fun." I said and Lucy nodded at me._

"_That kid that just walked in right?" She asked and pointed over my shoulder, I turned and saw Zoran had just walked in. "He likes to steal stuff? For fun?" She asked snarkily, well at least she looked snarky._

_Then Zoran shape shifted into Lucy and mimicked her, "He likes to steal stuff? For fun?" He completely nailed her face but butchered her voice, it was his voice after all. _

_We all started laughing at his mimicry and I said, "Nice! You totally nailed her face! And yes Lucy this is our newest member." I was still laughing until Lucy walked up to me and smacked me on the head. "Ow! What was that for? Oh shit, Zoran run!" _

_Zoran looked at me and then at Lucy and saw what I saw, pure anger. He mumbled a curse and ran back to his room, with an angry Lucy right behind him. 'Well, she hates him. Oh well, I think she'll get used to him.' I got up and ran after them, yelling at Lucy to calm down. Then we reached his room but he kept running, and eventually we reached our room. He ran stopped and put his ear to the door and immediately broke it down. 'Wait, Hoshi's in there! If he just broke the door to get in then something's wrong!'_

_Lucy figured this out too and ran in after him keys in her hands. I lit my hands on fire and ran in after her, but found something the complete opposite of what I expected to see. Hoshi WAS crying but that was because she needed her diaper changed. And was getting it changed by Zoran who was saying, "…rry for breaking the door down. I heard this one crying and thought there was trouble. But no just a dirty diaper. Sorry Natsu-san, Lucy-nee."_

"_Lucy-nee? Huh, I like that. You know what Zoran, you can call me that. Since you are probably going to be Natsu's pupil, I'm guessing based on how you two liked making fun of me earlier." Lucy said and patted him on the back._

_I blinked a minute before smirking and leaning back against the wall. 'I knew she would like him. He may be a dork but he has a good heart. And that means more to me than anything else. I wonder what he likes for dinner most nights? And when he sleeps and gets up in the morning? That will seal the deal, if he like getting up early we'll be good.'_

_Then Zoran let out a loud burp and it startled Hoshi. She started crying and Zoran started laughing, "What my burp scare ya?" Lucy looked ready to kick his ass all the way to Oak Town but then he surprised us both, "I'm sorry little Hoshi, shhh. Its ok. It was just a burp, nothing harmful or scary. Even your dad does it. Natsu-san burp quickly!"_

_I blinked at him for a second wondering what I should do, then I shrugged and let out a monstrous burp. Lucy smacked me in the head and glared at me, but then we heard nothing. Which was a change from Hoshi crying so we looked and saw her looking at us, blinking as if pondering. 'Is she actually wondering if burps are normal? Holy shit. Is his plan going to work?' _

_She blinked again then looked at me and I burped again, this time not as loudly. Then she giggled. "Holy shit Zoran! Your plan worked!" I yelled and then Hoshi started crying again, startled by my outburst._

_Lucy glared at me and I flinched, her gaze being heavy and deadly. Zoran saw this and chuckled nervously as he said, "Hey Lucy-nee, here's Hoshi. Natsu-san why don't we go and see if Gajeel and Levy are back yet." _

_I nodded and Lucy sighed, shaking her head she cooed to Hoshi and I kissed both of their foreheads. "Sorry for scaring you Hoshi." I said and walked out of the room, but not before Lucy gave me a peck on the cheek. I smiled at them as I left and then turned towards Zoran, "So, how do you like it here so far?" _

"_Oh you people are fucking crazy. Honestly you guys are all mother fucking crazy." He said and I blanched at his bluntness. "But, you are all good people. I can tell that much. You all care for each other and treat each other like family. I think I'll fit in here. Hey I'm going to take a nap. Probably won't wake up until tomorrow. It is almost midnight now. You like waking up early? Either way, I'll be up around five so yeah. Goodnight Natsu-…"_

"_Just Natsu. There is no need for honorifics. Good night and see you at five." I said and patted him on the back. He looked at me and smiled. He ran off to his room and I called after him, "But hey! DON'T STEAL ANYTHING!" He stopped and looked at me, then shrugged and kept running. I sighed and walked downstairs. _

'_What a day. But it was a good day. The new guy will fit right in."_

_END FLASHBACK _(Third Person POV)

"Wow! Zoran sounded like he was fun!" The little girl said and the old man sighed.

"Yeah, he was." The old man looked off in the distance and looked sad. As if he was remembering a sad thing that had happened.

"Grandpa? Are you okay? Why are you crying?" The little girl asked.

The old man realized he had begun to cry and wiped away the tears and said, "Yes. I'm fine. Now, onto the next story about Natsu…"

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**A/N: Hey look its done! That was fun to write! I can't wait for the next one! As this took a week to write there are some shout outs that need to be given. For Favoriting: levitsu and jr. chibi, Following: xX Shina Xx and jr. chibi. For following and/or favoriting me: Ai Megurine, jr. chibi, levitsu, and klm1095. Thanks guys! Now onto the epilogue, I hoped you guys liked it. Well here's the deal, there will be five epilogues for this story. Then, a week after all the epilogues, which will be weekly updates, the sequel will begin!. But I need your help! If you can guess the theme of the sequel, then maybe I start it earlier. But now, I need baby names, or just names in general! I need some more OC's for the story and I'm opening it up to you guys! Any suggestions would be appreciated! Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	69. Chapter 69

Epilogue 2: The New Rule

**A/N: Hello there again! One week is a perfect amount of time to write these things honestly. Well I hope you guys liked the last one and hope you guys like this one too. ENJOY!**

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(Third Person POV)

The old man wiped away the tears of sadness and said, "Yes. I'm fine. Now, onto the next story about Natsu. This is the story of how he created the first new rule of Ronin. And then promptly enforced it."

The little girl frowned and said, "That sounds boring." She crossed her arms and pouted at the old man.

The old man laughed and said, "Trust me, it wasn't. Now the year was X807…"

_Flashback- July X807 (Natsu POV)_

_I sit at the bar with Zoran and look at him. He had just returned from a month long mission and he looked different. He was taller now, standing at about six foot three. Gigantic compared to me. And after seven years training with me he was much more muscular and built. In fact, he looked like he could beat me in arm wrestling now. 'Maybe, I may not be as big as he is but I am just as strong. But he also looks older now. He is twenty-two now. Wow. Twenty-two already? That means I'm thirty-two now. Man where have the years gone? I mean look at Hoshi. She's already eight! EIGHT! Fuck I'm getting older.'_

_I was awoken from my reverie when Zoran nudged me in the side and asked, "You alright Natsu? You've been staring at me for a while now."_

"_Yeah, just looking at you. Man did you grow again? I mean you look even taller now. And you're hair is shorter too. You almost look like you're balding already you have so little of it." I said and laughed at how short his hair was._

_He pouted and punched me in the arm. "Shut up old man."_

"_What did you just call me?" I asked and got in his face._

"_You heard me, O-L-D M-A-N." He said and put his forehead to mine. I pushed against his forehead and he pushed back. _

_Then all hell broke loose as Gajeel decked Esoj for no apparent reason. He decked Esoj, then Junaid, Junaid Kokinos a new member who joined three years ago and is a earth mage, decked Gajeel. Then another new member, Konstantin Karim, requip mage, decked Junaid and sent him flying into the two of us. And that made me mad._

"_OI! Konstantin! Watch it!" I yelled but instead got a fist to the face from Esmond Midgley another one of the new guild member, who had joined five years after Zoran had. _

"_That's for yelling in my ear!" He yelled and I punched him back. He was a dragon slayer surprisingly enough and was the Water Dragon's son. 'My opposite. But he is young and nowhere near my level of mastery of dragon slayer magic. He will never get there with either, not with his work ethic.' But right now he had punched me in the face and sent me flying into Esoj who had just gotten up. _

"_OI! Watch it Natsu! Have to show Gajeel who's better at singing! Because he sucks!" Esoj yelled as he threw me off of him and punched me in the face._

"_Say it again! I dare you!" Gajeel roared and punched Esmond who had tried to start something with another dragon slayer. He knocked Esmond out cold and now was looking at us. Konstantin had run up behind us but Zoran had knocked him out in one punch as well. That left only Junaid who decided not to push his luck and sulked off to another table where his partner,_ _Caden Jacobs, an ice mage, was sitting at along with the rest of their group. _

"_Calm down! ALL OF YOU!" Came a yell that unmistakably meant we were in trouble. I looked and saw Lucy who looked like she was ready to cut off our heads. "Now, would some care to explain why this fight broke out?" _

"_It was Gajeel and Esoj, they we're arguing about who was the better singer." Said a female voice from the table near where the fight had started. It was someone who, for all intent and purposes was Zoran's rival. Seble Rita Moralez, a wind mage from Hargeon, before it was destroyed._

"_Oh my… mother of… are you two fucking serious? You almost started an entire guild wide brawl over who was the better singer? Really?" Asked Zoran in disbelief and face palmed. "That's almost as dumb as being a wind mage."_

_Rita smacked Zoran in the back of the head and said, "No being a sound mage is dumb, cabron." I looked at them and thought, 'Oh yeah she also was originally from La Empieza. She moved here with her family when she was young, right before Zeref destroyed that town. You know she was pretty pissed when she missed out on being the first new member of the guild by two days. Man, was she mad.'_

_Zoran then got up from his crouching position and glared at her. She was shorter than him by at least a foot but that didn't matter. She glared right back at him and it looked like sparks were flying between them. Lucy roller her eyes at them and said, "Geez. Get a room you two."_

_They both deadpanned at her words and quickly said, "With Him!" "With Her!" "NO WAY!" Then they both started glaring at each other again and started arguing again as always. They looked like a married couple. They started walking away, arguing as they went and I cocked my eyebrow at them. _

'_Huh. Is something going on there? Maybe I should check this out.' I waited a moment and just as I was about to follow them, Lucy grabbed my shoulder. "And where do you think you're going?" _

"_Shhh. I'm going to follow them to see what they're up to. Something is up there, and I …" I replied but did get to finish as Lucy started dragging me away. _

"_Oh, no you are not! Seble deserves some privacy. With whoever she decides to give her heart to. Even your little pupil, Zoran. Gods I hope she can put up with his antics." She said and I had to agree with her._

"_Hey that would be interesting though. Both of our pupils, together? That would be awesome!" I said and Lucy nodded. She then stopped dragging me finally and threw me next to Gajeel and Esoj who were standing next to my office door. "You know, I can walk."_

"_I know. But you're not very good at listening to me. At all. Now, we have something to discuss. Don't we honey?" She said and made the face that made me shit my pants. She was smiling but it was obviously forced and she accentuated every syllable she had just said. I knew I was dead. _

"_Yes. In my office, now!" I said and the two offenders ran inside. "Oi! Gōsuto! Rai! Nena! You three in here too!" I yelled and the three ran over to us. Or would have if not for the front door being thrown open to reveal a badly beaten duo. Raito, Rai's son, and E.J., Esoj's son, walked in and then promptly fell to the floor. "MEDIC!" I yelled as I ran over to them and was followed by the other founders._

_Rai, Nena, and Esoj ran past me and went to their children. Tsume had heard the commotion as well and when she saw what it was she fainted. The guild's healer mage, Ridvan Katırci a cell mage (Can create cells and manipulate them, only if living cells), came and got to work. "Geez, what happened? Where did you kids go?"_

_Tsume answered her, "They went to the outskirts of New Hargeon. The job was about killing a monster or something. They wouldn't tell me what one though." _

"_Wait! What job poster was it? Which color?" Asked Rai and Junaid had come over with towels and water._

"_Red." Tsume answered._

"_Red? I don't remember a red one." Rai said, but Junaid's head snapped up at the answer._

"_Red? That was a new one; it was to kill a Wyvern! Wait, no. It was to kill two of them!" Junaid said and everyone gasped. _

"_AND YOU LEFT THAT MISSION ON THE BOARD?! YOUR JOB IS TO CHECK THE BOARD FOR NEW QUESTS AND TAKE THE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT ONES TO THE S-CLASS BOARD! IMMEDIATELY!" Rai yelled. It was true, Junaid's job was to make sure the jobs on the regular board were meant for that board. Any S-class level one's were supposed to be taken to the S-class board next to my office._

"_I did! They must have snuck off with it after I put it up yesterday!" Junaid said, defending himself._

"_I knew they were up to no good! I saw them but they must have hidden it before I came out of there. Shit!" I said and everyone was looking at them. _

"_What were they thinking? They're barely thirteen, they shouldn't even be considering jobs like that yet." Nena said and I looked at Lucy. I motioned to my office and she nodded. _

_I got up and patted Nena on the back, and then walked over to my office. We reached my office and I opened the door. We walked in and I said, "I need to institute a new rule. Something that will make sure that will never happen again. What do you think?"_

_She looked at me and was surprised by my quick reaction to this. She sat down and thought about it, then got up and walked around a bit. Then she got her answer and said, "What if we ban everyone under the age of seventeen from going quests? That way they will be reaching the cusp of their power and they will be able to handle themselves better. And they will also be able to make better decisions."_

"_No, that wouldn't help us too much. They would be too inexperienced when they got that old and don't go on jobs. Remember what happened with Zoran? He went on first job when he was seventeen and he almost died. Twice. No, I think we should do something else. Maybe lower the age or something."_

"_Hmm or we let them still go on jobs. Just with a catch." Lucy said and I looked at her, confused._

"_A catch?" I asked and she nodded. "Well, what is your special catch?"_

"_They can go on jobs, but they have to take an adult with them until they are eighteen. And the adult has to be twenty-one and up." She said and I nodded. _

"_Hmmmmm. That could work. Ok. Go get Esoj and Gajeel. We will need their approval as well since they are my other advisors." I said and she nodded. She went outside and as she did I began thinking to myself, 'This is a solid solution. I know that much, but there is only one problem. Getting those old enough to agree to go on the jobs with the kids. There are only ten people old enough to go: the founders, Zoran, and Seble. And I can't go on jobs unless I'm requested to go. So that leaves only nine people who are old enough. This might not pass with them…'_

_My reverie was broken by Lucy opening the door, ushering in Gajeel and Esoj. "What do you want, Salamander?" Gajeel asked gruffly and sat down._

_He put his feet on my desk and I promptly moved them off. Esoj was pacing around the room and looked extremely worried, "Oi, Esoj calm down. Sit down. You're making me worry." _

_I looked at him and he glared at me in return. "Calm down? CALM DOWN! MY SON IS ON THE FLOOR OF OUR GUILD AND IS HALF DEAD!" He yelled and smashed his fist down on my desk, "Let that be your kid and then you calm down!"_

"_Oi, calm the fuck down. You're acting like a women right now. Sit down and man up." Gajeel said and then Lucy glared at him._

"_Acting like a woman? What does that mean?" She asked Gajeel and he scoffed._

"_It means you women act like every little problem is the mother fucking apocalypse. You let your emotions get the better of you. Just like ol' Esoj is right now." Gajeel said and Esoj then joined Lucy in glaring at him._

"_Fuck you. I'd like to see what would happen if that was Joi out there on the floor? Bleeding out and you were in here, talking?" Esoj asked and Gajeel got up from his seat._

"_I would act like a man and go and find those wyverns and kill them. Instead of worrying like a little bitch!" He said and got in Esoj's face._

_I realized I was losing control of this situation and needed to retake control. So I put my hands on my desk, slamming them down, and said very loudly, "EVERYONE CALM THE FUCK DOWN AND SIT DOWN! NOW!" To show them how serious I was I leaked out some of my magical energy to remind them who was in charge. Lucy, who had begun to move towards Gajeel, was the first to react. She looked over at me and saw how serious I was about telling everyone to calm down. And that everyone was acting like children was making me angry. _

_Gajeel and Esoj then realized what was causing the magical pressure and gulped. They looked at me and saw I was getting angry. They immediately sat down and mumbled apologies. I sighed and shook my head at them, then motioned at Lucy with my hand. She nodded and starting telling them the new rule, "So the reason we called you in was because we have a solution to the problem that just happened. Kids are too inexperienced and foolish to go on missions by themselves. So we propose that while we still do allow them to go on missions, they must take an adult with them. The adult must be twenty-one or older. The restriction would be lifted when they reach the age of eighteen. I suggest we vote on it now."_

_Esoj immediately got up and said, "I vote no! The kids need to learn independence! If we coddle them like this then they will never become stronger! We should lower the age to fifteen!"_

_Gajeel nodded and said, "I agree, we can't coddle them like that. I second Esoj's amendment to the rule."_

_Lucy did not agree. She said, "No way! We all know that teenagers are idiots. The rule should stand as it is." _

_Then she looked at me but Esoj said, "Don't use the fact you sleep with him to get what you want! Natsu you have to agree with me, this rule will stunt their growth! They will not reach their potential this way! Many of the new members are young still, around sixteen or seventeen years old! If we forced them to have an escort on every job, they won't get any experience! They will rely on the adult to help them and they will not get stronger! They need to go through adversity!"_

_"AND they will! Just because they are going with an adult doesn't mean they won't get experience! Experience through example. They will see what a grown mage does and try to emulate them." She said._

_Esoj scoffed and said, "Please. No they won't. We all know that. They'll just let the adult do the work and take the money reward. Whatever is the easiest way out."_

"_NO THEY WON'T! NOT ALL OF THEM!" She said and got in his face as he did._

_They were about to start arguing before I said, "ENOUGH! SIT DOWN! I'll decide whether or not to amend it!" I did what I had done before with my magical energy but now I was irritated. And when I'm irritated, my patience is thinner than the air we breathe._

_And it almost broke when Ridvan opened the door and said, "All good out there…. Uh, well I can see you're busy. I'll uh…"_

_"LEAVE!" I said and looked at her. I did not need people interrupting us now. She nodded meekly and left, running away like she had seen the devil. I sighed and rubbed my temples. Then I began deciding what to decide, 'I see where both sides are coming from. Kids do have a tendency to try and take the easy way out. But they could learn invaluable lessons by watching grown mages do their work. Hmmm, but they could also learn just as much by doing it themselves. You learn from your mistakes right? But fifteen is too young for me. No seventeen to sixteen is right.'_

_I stood up and said, "I have reached a decision." They all looked at me and waited for the decision, "I agree with Esoj and Gajeel. They will learn more by doing it themselves the younger they are. BUT. I do not agree with your age. I raise the limit to sixteen and a half. That is the end of that conversation. Now vote."_

_I looked at Gajeel who said, "Ok, that works for me."_

_Then I looked at Esoj, who sighed and said, "In favor."_

_I sat down and motioned to Lucy, who sighed as well and said, "Alright. I vote in favor."_

"_Good. Gajeel, go and find Levy so she can write it up with Lucy. Lucy get the book and add it in. Esoj you can go and check on E.J. now. Dismissed." I said and sat back in my chair. Then I said, "Oh and Esoj tell everyone to be in the guildhall, near the bar and stage so I can announce the new rule."_

_He nodded and went to go check on his son. I sighed and put my feet up on my desk, thinking about how to tell everyone this new rule. I never even got a chance to think about it as Lucy came back into my office and said, "Move your feet. I'll need the space to write." Her voice was normal, as if she had not just been shot down in her decision a few moments ago. I was about to ask her about it but she cut me off as she said, "I'm ok. I know that the decision was made by everyone and is at least reasonable. I understand your decision and agree with it, for now." She put down the book and opened it._

_She opened the book to the rule page and went to a blank page that said, "Amendments". I smiled at that page and said, "Did you really make a page that said amendments?"_

_She looked up and smiled, "Yeah, I thought that we might need a page like this so I added it in. Guess I was right." I laughed and got up from my seat. I walked behind her and watched her write the new rule. Her writing was magnificent, like a lacrima was doing it. It was like her really, perfect. _

_I leaned down so my head was right next to her ear and said, "I love the way you write, it's like you: beautiful." My voice was low and quiet, it caused her to shiver due to how close my breath was to her ear. She turned around to look at me and I kissed her on the lips. I grinned as I did and said, "Thank you for being so understanding today." I really was thankful too, I needed her support on this or the night would be spent on the floor. And I did not want that._

"_Of course, it's what everyone wants. Or at least what we hope they will agree with." She said as she got up and I put my arms around her._

_Just as I was about to kiss her again, Gajeel and Levy walked in. I groaned and let go, glaring at the ceiling like it was at fault. Lucy sighed and got back to writing, mumbling something about the gods stopping her from having another child. Levy looked around and asked, "Did I interrupt?"_

"_No, just… just create runes so the rule cannot be changed by anyone except the master." I said and Levy nodded and got to work, "Gajeel, come with me. I have an announcement to make." I walked by Gajeel and he followed after me._

_We walked out of the office to see everyone was there, waiting for me. I sighed and saw Esoj and Rai there with their son's, who they were admonishing. I could only imagine the punishments but did not stop to think about it. I had an announcement to make. I walked onto the stage and motioned to Gajeel, who was my enforcer of sorts, and he called out, "OI! SHUT THE FUCK UP! THE MASTER HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE!"_

_I flinched at Gajeel's choice of words and looked at him, shaking my head in disapproval. He shrugged as the crowd did as he said. I sighed and cleared my throat, "Ok everyone! As you know today we had some younger members decide to try and be heroes today. Well I cannot allow that to happen again. SO, in response to this I have decided upon a new rule. All mages under the age of sixteen years old and six months must have an adult present if they wish to go on a job." The crowd groaned at this, but not all of them, just the younger ones, "And in this instance an adult is defined as someone the age of twenty-one or older. That means that all founders, except for me, and Zoran and Seble as of now are the ones you youngsters must ask to accompany you. You must ask an adult to accompany you a whole twenty-four hours before you leave to accompany you. Ok, everyone is now dismissed." To my surprise there were no complaints as I got off the stage and I thought to myself, 'Well that went better than expected. Not even the adults whined, I guess the incident affected them a bit more than expected. I know it definitely did for me. When Hoshi gets older I wanna have Zoran with her so she doesn't get into too much trouble. But will get into some trouble and will actually agree to go with an adult. Oh wow, everyone already left.'_

_The crowd disappeared little by little until there was only Junaid and his group left. He walked up to me and asked, "Hey have you seen Zoran? He wasn't here during the announcement and I want to ask him to join our next job." Junaid was sixteen, but his birthday had just happened._

_I looked around and still didn't see him. I looked for a second more and said, "He might be in his room, come on then." I motioned for them to follow me and led them to Zoran's room._

_We walked in silence as I really did not care about what they were talking about. Something about hot girls or something like that. I sighed and walked a little faster until I reached his room and threw open the door. I said, "Zoran, wake up you bum…. AGH! MY EYES!" I did not listen or even care about what he had been doing but now I did. He was on his bed, but more graphically he was on top of Seble. And IN Seble. They both mumbled a curse and threw some covers on them as I closed the door shut._

"_OK, Junaid, ask him tomorrow. NOW LEAVE!" I said and watched as all the guys in that group whined about missing a chance to tease Zoran but did not waste any time. They all turned and left and I turned to the door and reached to open it…._

END FLASHBACK

The old man was about to continue his story but was smacked on the head by an equally old woman, "BAKA! You can't tell a ten year old that part of the story!"

The old man rubbed his head and said, "Fine. But that is the end of the story you know?"

"Oh well then. It's time for lunch anyways. Come on Layna. Let's get you some food." The old woman said.

The young girl, named Layna said, "OK!" he got up and ran after her grandma.

The grandma stopped however and said, "Honey, why don't you go on ahead, I'll be right there." The little girl nodded and went ahead, the old woman went back to her husband and said, "Stop telling stories that include Zoran. You'll depress me too. Now come and eat, no tears. You talked about him, no one else did. Understood?"

"Yes. I know. I miss him though." The old man said as he got up. He wrapped an arm around his wife and said, "Just like I miss…"

"NO. Don't say it. I don't need you crying again. Now shut up and tell her other stories." The old woman said and the old man nodded, wiping away the tears before they fell again.

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**A/N: Wow. I'm setting up for a depressing life for this old man. If you can guess who it is I'll give ya a cookie! And if you guys answer the questions in the last epilogue's A/N, I'll tell ya a secret! Well that was fun! Shout outs to Kawaii. Yui-Chan for the favorite and follow, and to Dazz Tugz and sashaXmafuyuFOREVER for the reviews! Thanks guys! Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	70. Chapter 70

Epilogue 3: The New Spell- Part 1

**A/N: Hello again! We're almost done with the epilogues! Then we will have the sequel! But since no one seems to have a clue as to what my sequel will be about, it will not be right after the end of the epilogues. Unless of course you guys figure it out. Up to you guys. And yes sashaXmafuyuFOREVER, the old people are Natsu and Lucy. But it was supposed to be obvious to the reader, not to the little girl. Well, ENJOY!**

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

(Third Person POV)

"NO. Don't say it. I don't need you crying again. Now shut up and tell her other stories." The old woman said and the old man nodded, wiping away the tears before they fell again.

The old man walked inside of the massive guildhall that was also his home. He sighed as he walked and composed himself so he did not look too sad. He walked to his usual spot at the bar. His granddaughter was already in the spot next to him and was talking to an equally old man. "Hey, why do you have so many things on your face?" The little girl asked, and the two old men laughed.

The grandfather said, "He was born that way, pure ugly."

"Ah shut it Salamander. Not like you aged any better. And pipsqueak? The name's uncle Gajeel." The other old man said and patted her on the head.

The grandpa laughed at how he was kids now, remembering how he was when he first met him. "Layna, how about I tell you a story that involves Natsu and uncle Gajeel? The one where they created the spell: Ronin Law. It began…"

_Flashback – May X819 (Natsu POV)_

_I walked to my usual spot at the bar, right in the middle and looked around. I saw Gajeel and Levy talking at their usual table, as were Esoj and Nena and the shadow and light families. Then I saw Junaid and his group along with Esmond and his usual team. And then I saw her. Seble. Alone. Depressed. She was just sitting there, sipping her beer. But mostly, her eyes showed the truth. They were red from tears and were looking down, sullen and dull. Her hands were shaking, and I could have sworn her lips were moving. But every time they did, it looked like they formed only one word: Zoran._

_I sighed deeply as I watched her, and felt my heart break even more. But before I could reminisce on the craziness that was the past month, Lucy came and sat down next to me. I looked at her and sighed, "You want to talk to her? She is your pupil after all."_

_Lucy looked at me and shook her head, "Not yet. If I did now, it would just go right over her head. She needs time alone. But we have something to discuss as well. What happened recently cannot happen again. Ever. We need to make sure of it." _

_I turned in my seat and faced her, "How do you propose we do that? I mean there is one way… But I wouldn't even know where to start with that method." I paused, looking around to make sure no one else was nearby, and then continued, "The only idea I would have going in that direction would be going…. THERE again."_

_She looked at me with no worry in her eyes and said, "Then we go back there again. I don't care. We need to make sure this never happens again. Ever." The way she said it made a bit nervous about this whole thing. 'She may be just as hurt as Seble is but she's dealing with it differently. I don't like this. Especially if she's ok with going back there. That place is dangerous and should only be visited by younger people. Not people in their forties like us. But what choice do I have? She is right, we can't let that happen again. And thinking about it, being completely unbiased about it, there is little choice.'_

_I sighed and looked around, then said, "We will have to be gone for around an entire year. We would have to leave the protection of the guild in the hands of psychic projections because we would need the help of the other founders. Tell them to come to my office." I got up as she nodded, then walked over to my office._

_I opened the door and sat down on my desk chair, putting my elbows on my desk making it look like I was in deep thought. I looked like this as the founders came in and I waited until they were all here and sighed. I stood up and faced the window, being a bit overdramatic before I said, "The last month has been crazy. We have lost a lot. And we need to ensure something like that never happens again. We need a trump card so grand it can never be topped. Something so powerful that if used, a situation like the last one is resolved in a matter of seconds. We need a secret guild spell." I turned towards the wall and fiddled with a map. "One on par with Fairy Law and Grimoire Law. One so powerful that anyone considered an enemy will go down easy. One that will put fear into the hearts of our enemies. And I know where we can develop said spell."_

_At this point Gajeel chimed in saying, "Oh yeah? Where? To create a spell that strong we would need a place where we can practice harness raw magical energy. And then release it safely. And we would need an instructor to teach us. Where do you propose we find those?"_

Then Rai chimed in as well as he said, "Yeah the only place I know like that is the Cave of Origins. And that's a myth."

_I turned to look at them and said, "It's not a myth. It's very, very real. The Cave of Origins is very real and is not far from here. Or far from anywhere really. 'You need only know the way in.' That's the riddle of the cave and I know the way in, as does Luce. We spent a whole year in there training with the guardian of the cave. With the first mage to ever call himself a mage." I put the paper down on my desk and said, " Trust me, the place is very real. The only issue is that is that it is very dangerous there. It's not really a cave once you're there. But rather a forest, with many dangerous creatures in it. Most of them close in power to a dragon. That is the issue I have with it. And the fact that it could take almost a year to finish the spell."_

"_A year? You want us to leave for a whole year?" Asked Nena and everyone agreed with her._

"_No, not everyone, well hopefully not everyone. I hopefully need only about two or three of you plus Lucy. I will ask for volunteers first." I said as I looked at them._

_Immediately Gajeel and Levy stood up. "We will go. I have always wanted to know more about the Cave of Origins. I have read so much about it but have never been able to find it." Levy said._

"_And wherever she goes, I must follow. There are your two volunteers. When do we leave?" Gajeel said and took one of the papers on my desk. His eyes bulged at what they said and he asked, "Is that really how you enter the cave?"_

_I nodded and said, "Ok, everyone else dismissed. Esoj you are in charge, just not appearance wise. That will be my psychic projection. Gajeel and Levy you don't have to make one, just say that you are going on an s-class job for a while. Once your ready, and that means saying goodbye to Joi, come back here. Luce get me the lacrima so I can call Happy and the other exceeds. Go, we don't have all day. We leave when the Redfoxes are ready." Everyone nodded and started moving. _

_Lucy handed me the lacrima and I turned it on. Happy appeared, well his back did as were Charle's back as well as their own son: Smiley. He was white with blue highlights and looked like Happy. He saw me and said, "Grandpa!"_

_Happy turned around and smiled at me, "Natsu! It's been a while! I may have joined the exceed colony here but come on! Where's Lushy? She dump you yet?" _

_Lucy laughed from behind me and laughed, "No Happy we have just been busy. Charle, oh I mean Queen Charle how are you?" _

"_Quite well. Happy be nice now. I know you miss him but be nice." Charle said but we knew she was lying about being well. Wendy was not well, so neither was Charle._

_I sighed at the guilt we held for Wendy's condition, but knew there was nothing we could do. 'If we visit her now she might just get worse. I hear she is making progress just very slowly. I know that Gōsuto wants to but he knows it would only make it worse. Gah! Why did we even target her? Why did we even… No no I did what needed to be done. No need to doubt it now.' I looked at Happy and smiled, saying, "Hey Happy! Hey I just wanted to let you know that we will be going on a mission for a while. It's not a request or anything but a very important mission. I know you consider yourself an ally of this guild so I just wanted to let you know. No need for you to worry though buddy. I'll be safe. I have Luce here after all and she'll just sit on any monsters right?" _

_Happy started laughing and Lucy shot me a glare. Happy sighed quietly so he could stop laughing and said, "Ok Natsu. Just be careful ok? I know I will be! Aye sir!" He said and looked over his shoulder and saw something that needed his attention, "I have to go now! Being the king of an exceed nation is troublesome! Aye sir! Bye!" _

_He waved and we waved back as he turned off his lacrima. Lucy sighed deeply and said, "I have a bad feeling about him. Like something will happen while we are gone. Something bad. And plus you have your handic…"_

"_Don't mention it. Ever. I may be at a disadvantage now but am not out. I'm still the strongest mage on this earth, hands down. Don't worry about me. Now let's get moving. I can Gajeel and Levy coming." I said and on cue the duo entered. But they were not alone. With them were my son, San Igneel Dragneel, their son Bukku Kurogane Redfox, and their daughter Joi. "San? Bukku? Joi? Why are you three here?"_

_My son who was twelve now said, "Because we won't let you leave without us. …_

_Flashback Interruption _

"Hey wait grandpa! Where's Hoshi in this story?" The little girl asked and the to older men looked at each other.

Gajeel sighed and said, "She had left by that time. It's a story that if your grandpa wants to tell then he will tell you. Oi! You got some of your lunch on your clothes! Go to the bathroom and clean it off before it stains!" The little girl gasped and ran off, "Ok, so she's gone. Natsu. Why haven't you told her who you are?"

The old man, Natsu himself said, "Because her mother said I could not. Part of the conditions she made so I could have Layna come and visit occasionally. To her the name Dragneel is dead."

Gajeel sighed and said, "Listen, if you just talk to Hos…"

But Natsu never let him finish as he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and said, "Never say her name. Never! That name is banned from this guild for a reason! Her name is never to be uttered within these walls as long as I live. Even by mistake the name is forbidden." Natsu had a very serious look in his eye, a dangerous look. His magical energy was flowing and everyone near them could feel how angry he was. But then, before he could continue threatening Gajeel Layna returned and Natsu let Gajeel go. Then he smiled at Layna and said, "So now where was I? Ah yes. As I was saying…."

_Flashback Resumes_

"_Because we won't let you leave without us. We want to go as well and we want to be trained by this guardian. And yes we eavesdropped on you guys. Don't blame me, it's Bukku's magic that lets him do that. He is a dragon slayer after all." My son said. My son was a celestial mage like his mother and he was a damn good one. 'Especially for being only twelve years old. Bukku is also a steel dragon slayer while Joi is a solid script mage like her mother. But the strongest among those three is my son and that is because he has some of his mother's golden keys already. Scorpio, Gemini, Aries, and Virgo all volunteered to watch over him and he has already done what Lucy had done. He made them his friends, and they all love him'. I looked at them and thought, 'Well we'll be there. And after this past month of craziness, it might be good to be with them. Plus it will be a perfect training opportunity for them.'_

_I slowly began nodding and said, "Ok, but you better not be a burden. Or else we will send you back Bukku. I mean we will send all of you back of course." _

_San and Joi laughed while Bukku pouted at me being hard on him. But Lucy was not ok with it, "What?! Natsu we can't…"_

"_Yes we can. They'll be fine the guardian loves kids, remember? Don't worry, they will have a chance to learn and be with their families again. Now come on, we should get moving." I said and Lucy sighed in defeat. _

_Then she smirked devilishly and said, "Ok, but he sleeps with you in your bunk! Hahahaha!" I deadpanned and began to protest. But I was cut off a Lucy took out her keys and grabbed Arthur's. "Gate of the paladin I open thee! Arthur!"_

_Then Arthur appeared, and almost tore the roof off he was so damn tall. "What do you need?" He asked in his regal voice and it resonated throughout the room. He was tall and was supposedly the representation of a knight. His name is that of a king who ruled a round table or something. But he was strong and was the way into the cave. "Need to enter the cave of origins again?"_

_Lucy nodded and said, "Yeah, we have business there this time. Sorry for having do this."_

"_It is no bother. I am the keeper of the gateway and I am merely doing my job now. Tell the guardian I say hello." He said and then put his hands on the floor. Then he yelled, "Open, doorway to the wellspring of life! Where everything once came and where everything will eventually go! Open doorway to the source of all power, whether magical or natural! Open doorway of the Cave of Origins!" _

_A bright light shined from the floor and the floor seemed to vanish. Arthur nodded and held the doorway open for us. The doorway was unstable and someone needed to hold it open. That was Arthur's job unfortunately. He has never been to the Cave of Origins but was charged by the guardian to guard its doorway. I nodded and jumped in first. It was tough, the pressure of the doorway was great and it almost crushed me. But that was how it always was and eventually blinding lights joined the pressure. I could see nothing and felt like I was being crushed. Like what happened the first time. Then nothingness. For a moment I was where nothing was. Everything was black and I simply floated, going nowhere. It was the longest moment in my life. It was also the most terrifying, it always is._

_But then everything was back to normal and I was in a place best described as the Garden of Eden. Or something like that. Everything was green and lush, plants and trees were everywhere. Animals as tall as dragons. Fruit as big as me. And one old man as old as the dirt I was standing on. "Natsu Dragneel. Why have you returned?" He said in a voice that is unlike any I have ever heard. It sounded as if he spoke in three different voices. One a regular male, another of a young female, and one that was so deep I thought he used a microphone lacrima to say his words. The first time I heard him speak I thought I was going to need new pants. It was perhaps the most terrifying thing I have ever heard. _

_But now, now I knew him. And I knew how to talk to him, "What can't an old pupil come and visit whenever he wants?"_

"_No. You know this place is a sacred place. And I see you have brought friends along with you. Hello Lucy." He said and waved to her, she was always his favorite. "Now Natsu why have you come once more?"_

_I sighed knowing he would want answers, and truthful answers at that. So I tore off my cloak and showed him what had happened. His face grew long and compassionate, and he knew why I had thought coming here would be best. "I have lost much lately. Now I need your help once more. I wish to create a spell that can defeat any enemy much like the spell…"_

"_Yes. I know what you mean. The spell I once used as my own trump card. It has been imitated by guilds before, but I will show you how to cast it correctly. But I will also train the young ones and the new ones as well. I can see the power in some that I saw within you many years ago. Especially the two young boys. Step forward boys. Tell me your names."_

_San and Bukku hesitated for a moment; scared by his voice and the experience they just went through. But I looked at them and nodded, urging them to trust him. Then they stepped forward and said, "San Igneel Dragneel." "Bukku Kurogane Redfox." _

_The guardian nodded and stood up. Then he said, "Come. I have much to show you. Natsu, this training will take us one year of earth time. I hope you know this. And as this your third time here, you may never come back again. Three is the limit a fully mortal body can withstand the trip here. The same goes for you too Lucy. Now come." He turned around and led us away, into the forest that was his domain. _

_We walked in silence for a while before Gajeel came beside me and asked, "Third time? When was the other time?"_

"_Once ten years ago. The first time obviously was with Luce all those years ago, but then we returned. This time to rest and supervise the training of Zoran, Seble, and you know who." I said, spitting out the last part tensely and angrily. _

_Gajeel nodded and said, "So that's why she was strong. That's why they were all so strong. You really spoiled Zoran you know that? But hey it's not my place to judge. He was…"_

_I turned on him and grabbed his shirt, then said threateningly, "Gajeel, shut the fuck up. You volunteered to come so show some team spirit and shut the fuck up. Stop being annoying before I maim you. PERMANENTLY. Now walk." I said and threw him forward. I walked past him as he stumbled and felt the eyes of the guardian on me. "I'll tell you later. For now take us to where base camp will be."_

_The guardian nodded and kept walking. Everyone else paused a moment, then decided against saying something and kept walking. Except for Lucy who waited for me and grabbed my hand when I was next to her. She then started walking with me and gave my hand a small squeeze. I squeezed her hand back and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Thanks. I love you. Never forget that. No matter how much things change."_

_Lucy smiled at me and said, "I love you too. Don't worry she'll come back to her senses. We'll see…"_

"_No we won't. She was banned for a reason. She will stay banned for eternity. End of discussion." I said. She sighed and nodded, still holding my hand. I could tell she wasn't too happy with that decision but knew that was the way it had to be._

_We walked for a while longer until we reached the large opening in the middle of the forest. The guardian stopped and turned around, facing us. He motioned us forward, telling us we had arrived. I looked around and said, "We're staying here? Isn't this where a majority of the animals here live?" _

_The guardian smirked and said, "Yes. This will be part of the training for the spell. Your first job is to dominate any animal that come in here. You have six months. In the meantime. San. Bukku. Joi, if I heard correctly. You three come with me. I will train you personally. In six months, they will be able to join you. Now come." The three children nodded and waved goodbye._

_I was surprised by the guardian's eagerness to train them but was nonetheless pleased. "Ok, take care you guys! Listen to what he says; he's the guardian for a reason. So respect him! San that means you!" The kids nodded and I waved good-bye. Then I turned to Lucy and the others and said, "Well we have a forest to dominate, let's get to work."_

End Flashback

"Layna, are you sleepy or something?" Natsu asked his granddaughter and she yawned while nodding. Natsu chuckled and said, "Come on. I'll take you to my room so you may rest. Come now I'll finish this story after your nap. Up you go." Natsu slung Layna over his shoulder as he walked her to his room.

The old, grizzled mage walked in silence as he soon reached his room and set her down. He smiled at her and gave her a kiss on her forehead. Just then, Lucy walked in and asked, "Is she asleep?"

"Yes, the food here always makes her sleepy. Probably because she eats so much of it. She inhales the food here, what does her mother not feed her? Typical, she never liked to eat when she lived here either." Natsu said and looked at Lucy. Lucy was now crying silently and Natsu realized that the mention of his daughter made her sad. He reached out and grabbed her, pulling into a tender hug. "It's ok Lucy. I know what she said may have hurt you, but… Well I'm sure she didn't mean it."

"She said I married a one armed idiot who could care less about family. Then said it's because I'm so weak I felt that I needed his protection. Then she laughed at me. How could she not have meant that?!" Lucy yelled and then started crying even more.

Her sobs were loud and they racked her body. I sighed and hugged her tighter, shushing her softly so she didn't wake Layna up. Then I though to myself, 'Where did we go wrong with her? We loved that ungrateful daughter of ours so very much. Why did she do this to us?'

Then San came into our room and asked, "Hey dad, everything alright… Her again?" I nodded and San sighed deeply. "I'm sorry. I tried talking to her, to make her see how badly she hurt you guys. But… well let's just say she didn't let me finish. The words she said were a bit harsh. Anyways, Bukku and I are gonna be out of town for a while. Sorry."

"No its ok. You two have umm fun I guess. Don't come back early either! You two deserve your alone time. Be safe ok?" I said and San nodded. He waved goodbye and left. Leaving Lucy and I alone, taking care of our grandchild whose mother hated us. Life hated us.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: Whoa… Plot twists galore! So I now told you guys that Hoshi is gone, but why? That is my new question to you guys. I want to hear your thoughts as to why she is gone! I like hearing your theories, I love hearing theories about stuff in general! So let me know! The question about the epilogue still stands as does the quest for more OC's! Oh and if you're wondering: San means Sun in Japanese and Bukku means book, in Japanese. Thank you guys for reading! Shout outs today include: CainLimbo(Favorite-story), sashaXmafuyuFOREVER(Review) and klm1095 (Two reviews!). Thanks! Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


	71. Chapter 71

Epilogue 4: The New Spell- Part 2

**A/N: The end of MTMtE is near! Like the acronym for the story title? No? Well even if you don't oh well, it's easier to write that. The lowercase t means the by the by. Well I must say you people are much closer this time! Kml1095 and Dazz Tugz were both oh so close in there reviews. Kind of. Somewhat. How close doesn't matter! Just know that you were close and that all will be revealed in due time. Now as a warning, these next two epilogues will be… darker. Sadder I think is a better way to describe it but we are close to the end. Sorry, no happy ending just yet. Maybe later. Or maybe not at all? (Grins manically) You'll just have to wait and see! Don't worry the next story will not be nearly as long, promise! Now enough of my ramblings. ENJOY!**

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(Third Person POV)

The old man watched his grandchild as she slept, wondering how things could have gone so wrong. But there was no time for the old man to wonder as the child, Layna, awoke. "Grandpa… Did I sleep for a while? Because I still feel tired." Layna asked her grandfather as she stretched.

The old man known as Natsu Dragneel laughed and said, "Yes of course you did. But as with everyone who sleeps for a long time, you want to sleep even more. But I think you would rather hear the end of the story I was telling you, no?" The little nodded as she sat on Natsu's lap and he said, "Right! So those first six months passed by rather…

_Flashback- November X819 (Natsu POV)_

"_Gah! I'm bored!" I yelled as I sat next to the biggest tree in the forest. "We already dominated everything in here over four months ago! Well I did. Gajeel just kind of watched, no?" I said as I looked at Gajeel who was busy practicing dominating an animal. He did not know how to do it at first and so I had to do it all myself. Only dragon slayers could do this, so Lucy and Levy were stuck cataloging the animals so I didn't do any twice. 'Ugh, I have been bored stiff for months now. The only fun is when …. Well when I make fun of Gajeel about his learning curve for how to exert his will. But he surprisingly rarely does. Guess he's busy learning how to dominate. Pft! That sounded too funny. Too busy learning how to dominate! Hahahaha.'_

"_Shut up Salamander! I have the hang of it now! In fact, let's spar a little! You seem lazy and fat now, you could use the exercise." Gajeel said trying to get me to fight him._

_But for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to fight him. It had been like this for the entirety of the six months here. He would try and spar with me and I would refuse. "Nah, I've been working out for the past five or so months waiting for you. In better shape than you probably." I said and he deadpanned at me. He looked at Lucy and then at Levy, then he sighed deeply. He turned around and mumbled something under his breath that I couldn't quite make out. He made a waving gesture that showed his frustration and Levy went after him. "What? What do you…" I started but Lucy cut me off._

_She had grabbed my shoulder and turned me towards her. Then she punched me in the gut. Hard. But slowly, I saw it the whole way. But yet I did nothing to stop it. I blinked at her but did not move at all. It didn't hurt but the fact that my instincts didn't kick in to stop the punch. She backed up from me and looked at me dumbfounded, "What the fuck? No seriously, what the fuck? What's wrong with you? You haven't even attempted to spar with anyone here and you simply quickly dominated the monsters. You like the hunt, you like having fun doing that. USUALLY at least. But now… now you're a shell. What's wrong?" I looked away from her and sighed. I honestly didn't know what was wrong. Then she said, "Is it because of… you know." _

_Then I snapped my head back at her and looked at her very seriously. Then I said, "Don't mention her ever again. EVER." I turned and walked away from her, and added, "Never mention the other thing again either. I don't wanna talk about it. I'm taking a long walk. A very long one. I'll be back later. Don't wait up for me." I then walked away and could hear a sad sigh from Lucy. Then I could hear her mumble something about her hurting too, then stopped listening as I smelled salt. Salt meant tears. Which means I better not come back for a while so she can cry in peace. _

_I sighed as I walked down a path that I had not been down before. 'In more than one way really. I have never been like this. I always enjoyed fighting, always. But lately… lately something is wrong. I do not have the will to fight anyone. At all. I would rather step aside and let others fight instead of me. What's wrong with me? I have never been one to shy away from this. Is.. is it because of what happened? Did that past month really change me that much? I mean, I guess it did change me physically. I only have one real arm now. E.J. and Ridvan were able to create a prosthetic arm but…. But I don't know. It does feel different, like it's not even there.' I grabbed my new arm and squeezed it. And oddly enough I didn't feel anything, like the arm had no nerves. 'That's weird… no wait, no it's not. Ridvan did say she couldn't recreate feeling in that arm. She couldn't create the necessary neurons and dendrites or something science related.'_

_I stopped walking for a minute and turned towards the nearest tree. Then I lit my new fist on fire and punched the tree. The tree went flying, while being engulfed in flames. The part that I punched was the part sent flying, the entire middle part of the trunk gone. It pierced several trees in its path , creating massive holes in them. Then the piece pierced an animal of sorts as a cry of pain rang out. But it wasn't human. I sighed and kept walking as the animal kept screaming, howling in pain, begging for help most likely from something. But even with that, it felt wrong._

_I still felt nothing from my fist and had to see what happened to know I even did anything. I looked at my new arm and then quickly looked away. It was charred, not use to being lit on fire and bleeding from the force of the punch. I grabbed it, then did something really stupid. _

_I tried to pull it off. I tried to rip my entire arm from its socket and detach it from my body. And the scary thing was, it almost worked. I could feel my arm being stretched from the only place that had nerves left, my shoulder, and I could almost feel the pain. But as with everything Ridvan does, the arm was indestructible. The arm merely stretched a bit and then began repairing itself. I looked to see the skin ripping then reattaching itself to my body. So then I did the only thing I could think of, I tried to burn the arm off. _

_I lit one of my fingers from the other hand and then tried to slowly burn the arm off. I intensified the flame on my finger and brought it closer to my arm. But before I could do it, a hand grabbed my shoulder. I stopped and looked to see who it was. When I did, my jaw dropped. I was looking at someone I knew very well but I couldn't believe he was here. _

_It was me._

_It was me from twenty-four years ago, before I was chased away from Fairy Tail. He had my hair, my face without the scars and wrinkles, my body just without all the scarring, and more importantly both of my arms. Then I realized where I had been walking. The guardian had told me of a place here called the well of inner understanding. Here a person could see their inner selves and talk to themselves. Literally. I looked down to see water around my feet and then I knew for sure that I had found the well. I looked up and saw the other me's eyes. They looked sad and disappointed. "What? What do you want?" I asked the younger me._

"_I don't know, maybe for you not to rip off our arm. I mean I know we were depressed after Fairy Tail kicked us out but now? Jeez, this is very bad. I mean come on, you just tried to burn off our arm. OUR FUCKING ARM!" He said and as he did he morphed back and forth between many different time periods of me. Facially at least. One face where I was my current self, one face of when I was a kid, and yet another of a face that I was most likely yet to see. And the face that I had first seen which is what I was looking at now._

_I looked at him sideways and then huffed as my head snapped back to normal, "You know what I went through. I have a right to act a bit irrationally." I said and crossed my arms as I did so. I leaned in closer so our faces were close to one another and added, "So why don't you leave me in peace?"_

_He butted my forehead and said, "Because, I won't let you ruin everything because your being a little bitch. You may have the right to act this way but that doesn't mean you should." He leaned back and crossed his arms as well, then added, "You are a role model for many. You are arguably the greatest mage the world may ever see. And yet, here you are trying to burn your arm off. What is wrong with that picture?"_

"_Nothing. I'm a grieving man. A changed one. You can't tell me how to live, I'm no longer you. That me died decades ago. This is the new me, the messed up and dark me. I'll live my life as I damn well please. Now leave me in peace." I said and tried to walk past him._

_But I never made it more than a step as he punched me in the face. I went crashing into a tree behind me and then got up to look at him. "If you want me to leave you alone, then defeat me. Beat me in battle and I will let you pass. If you think you can, old man." He said and had his kid face on, then it morphed into the scarred older face I had yet to become, "Let's see if you really are the mage you were."_

_I scoffed and lit my hands on fire as did the other me, and we yelled, "Fire Dragon's Machine Gun!" Fire bullets shot out from our hands and shot at the other. But our bullets merely hit the other's bullets and as they did we charged. But he was a step faster and reached me first, punching me in the face. Then he started landing everything he wanted. He landed a punch to my jaw and my stomach, and then a kick to the back of leg. I crumpled forward with the kick and he used that moment to knee me in the face. Then as my head shot up from the attack, he put his hand in front of my face and said quietly, menacingly really, "Fire Dragon's Exploding Palm!" A massive explosion came from his hand and nailed me in the face, and I was sent flying backwards._

_I went crashing through several trees and only stopped when I hit a rock wall. Even then, the wall now had a massive dent in it and was cracking. I groaned and slowly let myself fall from the wall. But the other me wasn't done yet. He charged at me again and kneed me back into the wall. I grunted from the pain and then watched as he cupped his hands in front of my face. 'Oh shit.' I knew what was coming and quickly put my own hands up. Then we both yelled, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"_

_Our attacks met mid air, but his was stronger. It engulfed mine and hit me. I felt the fire engulf me and was worried that it would actually hurt me. My worries were warranted. The attack did its job and I howled in pain. The other me backed away and landed a few feet from the wall, looking up at me. When the attack finally stopped I slowly fell off the wall. _

_I landed on my face and stomach, then groaned loudly. My entire body was in pain for some reason and I struggled to get up. I stopped for a moment on all fours and took some deep breaths. I then continued getting up and stood upright. I looked at the other me and did so feeling my face bleeding, swelling, deforming. 'How could he be this much stronger than me? He's me! I'm as strong as he is, he is my fucking inner self!'_

"_Wondering how I'm so much stronger than you?" The other me asked and I nodded, "It's because you are no longer yourself. Losing our arm has rattled you to the very core. You are mentally no longer capable of going all out. You lost your edge. You no longer have the desire to protect those closest to you at all costs. It's why you came here in the first place. You want to prevent anything bad from happening again. You don't want to risk yourself anymore. You have become soft!" The other had progressively gotten closer until he was in my face and finished, "You are a shell. You're not even worthy of being the master anymore."_

_I looked him in the eye and saw nothing but disappointment. Then I realized that he was right. Maybe he may not have said it as well as others could have said it, but he was right. I had become a shell. I was no longer myself. So I said, "You're right." I sighed deeply as he backed away a bit, "I have lost my way. I have become scared of losing something else. And someone else. That's why I thought I wanted to master the spell but no. You were right, I wanted to not have to risk myself anymore. But, but now I know the truth. I have lost my edge. I have become… I have become my own worst nightmare. A man who has forgotten what matter most. Family. And now I need to protect them, what's left of it. Thank you, me." I said._

_He looked at me, pleased I had come to that realization and meant it. He nodded at me and said, "We know the truth now. We must prevent another Zoran, but we may not need the spell. Do what we must, but I can leave you to do so now in peace. Protect our family now. I hope I never have to come out again. Goodbye." He slowly disappeared and I felt my face return to normal. And then I realized I was lying on the floor. _

_I blinked a few times and sat up. Then I heard clapping and turned to see the guardian watching me. "Good work my boy. You needed to find yourself again. Now learning the spell should be easily. You know the necessary part, how to exert your will over others. And now your mind is in the right place. The spell will only work if you have the correct reason for using it. Or at least a good one for using it. The rest is easy. You need only to say phrase of your choosing, gather magical energy, decide who is the target, and unleash it." He said and I nodded at him._

_Just as he said it, the one monster that had yet to be tamed came forth. And it was the animal I had wounded earlier with the tree. He looked at me as I put my hands together and gathered magic. Then I said, "Let all those who have forgotten the forgotten be reminded of we are. Let those who stand in our way be moved. Let those who dare hurt the forgotten be destroyed. Ronin Law!" I looked up and released the magical energy in my hands. A massive wave of energy came forth and went out towards the animal. It hit the animal and the animal immediately crumpled. The animal withered and eventually it just disappeared._

"_EXCELLENT! That is just how mine works! Well congrats Natsu. You have done it. Now let us go and teach it to the others." The guardian said and I nodded. _

_I looked at my hands and balled my hands into fists. And for a moment, it was as if I could feel my fake arm. I smiled and kept walking, excited for the future once again._

END Flashback- (Third Person POV)

Natsu looked at his granddaughter and smiled. "Grandpa?" The little girl asked and Natsu looked at her, "You are Natsu Dragneel huh?" The old man sighed and nodded. The little girl sat up and asked, "Have you ever had to use that spell on someone? And why didn't you tell me who you were?"

Natsu sighed and said, "It was your mother's decision to not tell you. As for using that spell, I have before."

"On who?" The little girl asked.

Natsu was about to answer before the door flew open and the person responsible said, "Me."

Natsu looked back and saw just who it was. Natsu sighed and said, "Hoshi."

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**A/N: Dun dun dun! What?! HE used it on his own daughter? What did she do? Why did she forbid Natsu from telling Layna who he was? Well all will be answered in the sequel! And it has a name now! Is Love Really Fair? Be on the look out in three weeks! It will be a shorter story and will not be updated as often. Well shout out time! Reviews by klm1095 and Dazz Tugz, Favorites by lundstroms and ZeroXA, Follows by ZeroXA, lundstroms, and 4ever-A-Painter! Thanks guys! Remember! READ AND REVIEW, OR FAVORITE OR FOLLOW EVEN IF YOU SO PLEASE! ADIOS!**


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